Letting Go
by hope.peace.love
Summary: Hayley is in the middle of a difficult birth. Can Hayley and Klaus let go enough to get through the most important day of their lives together? A/N: this was originally a one shot but thanks to my wonderful reviewers I have decided to continue the story. It will explore the struggles klaus and Hayley will face while potentially starting a relationship and raising a child.
1. Chapter 1

He couldn't believe it was happening. He knew it would happen eventually but as much as he thought about the day his daughter would finally be here, he never anticipated the day she actually would finally arrive. It was happening and he couldn't control it. He wasn't even sure if he was ready but now he had no choice. Hayley's screams were a reminder that his daughter, their daughter, was ready to meet them and it scared him, it scared him immensely.

That fear was the only emotion he could muster up as he paced back and forth in Hayley's room. "Bloody do something!" he yelled at Sabine, who was serving as Hayley's midwife, and a few other compelled nurses. "Why can't you do something to help her! " he yelled again as he continued to pace back and forth across the room" you people are bloody worthless, I should rip all of your throats out right now!"

He had been listening to Hayley scream and moan in agony for some hours now, 22 to be exact, and he didn't know how much more she could bear. She was miserable, he knew it was for a good reason, but he just wanted to make it all end. He was just about to hurl another threat at Sabine when he heard her…

"KLAUS!" Hayley yelled, the agony in her voice causing his pacing to stop immediately, "stop the got damn pacing and help me!"

She didn't really even know why she said it. She told herself over and over before that when the time came she wouldn't to be the kind of woman who needed to be coddled through the process. She didn't need him to get through this. She had faced so many struggles alone and she would get through this birthing process the same way. She wanted him to be there but she told herself that she didn't want his help, yet at this moment all she could think of was having him hold her hand and whisper to her that it would be okay. She had grown fond of him, sometimes maybe a little bit too fond. Still, she never thought she would see the day where she yearned for his voice to settle her, but she did and she didn't have the strength to fight her need for him. She needed him and she needed him now.

"How in the bloody hell am I supposed to help? That's what these worthless people are here for!" He knew his reply wouldn't please her but it's the only reply he could conjure up.

How was he supposed to help? Why would she even want his help? His relationship with Hayley wasn't exactly the greatest. She had grown fond of Elijah and often times depended on him for things, especially early on when he wasn't exactly the greatest "baby daddy" on the planet. Over time she relied on him more but never fully, she was too stubborn for that. They kept each other at arms length but they did have a clear plan for how they would manage once their daughter arrived. They were united but kept their relationship strictly platonic. There were times where they came dangerously close to teetering over to the wrong side of that boundary but they never let themselves fall over.

He couldn't deny that he was drawn to her. She would often frustrate and beguile him simultaneously. He was entranced by her beauty and enticed by her fire. Many nights he would return home, after being surrounded by dozens of people, feeling like no one ever really saw him. That feeling never went away until he entered her room to listen to the soothing thumps of her and his daughter's heartbeats. There was a familiar and comfortable chemistry between them that made him feel like wasn't alone, like someone saw him, the real him. Still he never let him self cross the imaginary line they had drawn between them

" Just hold my hand, please, just hold my hand" She said though the tears and exhaustion currently overtaking her. "I just need you to hold my hand"

He didn't know what to do. Part of him wanted to run to her and do just as she said, but another part of him wanted to run as far away from the room as possible. What she was asking was simple, yet he felt like it went against ever fiber of who he was. The thought of crossing that line made him freeze in place. He couldn't, no he wouldn't, allow himself to do that.

"I can't…I, I, ummm, I , I can't…"

When she heard him she felt so deflated. She didn't have the energy or the heart to ask again. It reminded her why she originally told herself she didn't want his help. She knew he cared about her and the baby, but she also knew that nothing could break the wall around his heart, which is why she never bothered trying. She knew that he could never be that person for her, he couldn't be that person she relied on, that person she left herself open and vulnerable too.

Now she was drained emotionally and physically and she didn't know how much more she could take. Right then another wave of contractions hit, the strongest she had felt so far. All she could do was scream and in that moment she had never felt more alone. She was in a room full of people, yet she was alone, going through this just like she knew she would, just like she has always had to.

"ahhhhhhhhhhhhh…ahhhhhhhhh!" she screamed. "I can't take this anymore, I can't do it"

"Come on Hayley, just a little while longer, you are so strong you can do this, I promise you, you can do this" Sabine said, attempting to comfort her. She tried her best to reassure her, but she knew that Hayley was at her breaking point and nothing she said could help her. She didn't know much about Hayley and Klaus's relationship but she knew enough to know that no one would be able to get Hayley through this but him. She looked over at Klaus, who was still frozen in his place. She saw the overwhelmed and confused look in his eyes.

"Klaus, you need to do something, you need to help her, please"

"But I, I…" he turned his back to her, feeling too ashamed to look at Hayley in the state that she was in, and placed his face in his hands.

"I can't do this anymore," Hayley said, stroking her stomach. "I'm so sorry princess, I tried, I really tried, but I can't do this anymore" She had been in labor for far too long and the process was too difficult for her to continue like this.

Klaus didn't know exactly it was about what she said, but when he heard her voice this time something came over him. Something about hearing the defeated tone of her voice moved him and he could no longer fight what was holding him back.

He walked towards her slowly and cautiously as she continued to whimper and tell their daughter she was sorry. For a few moments he felt like he had no control over his legs because everything in him was screaming to stop but he couldn't. He finally reached the side of her bed just as she was about to say something else. He reached out and grabbed her hand in between both of his.

" Listen to me little wolf" he said, as he kneeled down so that he was eye level with her and removed one of his hands to carefully remove her hair from her face. He gently wiped away the tears that had been streaking her cheeks. " You can do this"

Hayley felt her whole body freeze. For a minute she thought she was dreaming, but when she looked into his piercing blue eyes she knew she was wide-awake. "What?"

"You can do this" He paused, contemplating whether or not this was a good idea. "I know you are exhausted, and I know you've given everything but people like you and me push through pain and make it to the end, we are fighters"

The room went completely silent as they both stared at each other, not breaking eye contact until Sabine's voice broke the silence. Both of them immediately looked away from each other, embarrassed by their display in front of the other people in the room.

"Listen to me Hayley, I think it's time to try to push again. When you feel this next contraction I need you to push with everything you got okay?"

Hayley wanted to say no, but Klaus's presence at her side and his words to her suddenly gave her the strength that she needed. She looked up at him and he gripped her hand tighter to reassure her. "Okay"

"Are you sure you can push for me?" Sabine asked

"Yes, I'm sure"

Sabine suggested that she reposition herself for the final stretch. Klaus stood up and positioned himself behind her. He gently rubbed her back and whispered, "you can do this little wolf, you can do this" in her ear. His words were so simple but she had never heard words more comforting in her life. She felt the contraction coming and instinctively reached out to her side for his hand. This time he grabbed it immediately and she squeezed it hard enough to break it.

"Well now little wolf, I thought you didn't have a anything left in the tank, you sure could have fooled me" he quipped.

"Shut up you…ahhh!" Before she could even get her insult out a severe pain overcame her.

"Okay Hayley come on I need you to push" Sabine yelled out.

Klaus just stared as her shrieks pierced his ears. He held one hand out for her to abuse and used the other to caress her lower back.

Sabine instructed her to push again and again, and she did, her screams growing louder each time. "Okay Hayley, your daughter is almost here, I need you to give me one more big hard push, and with everything you got"

Hayley let out probably the loudest scream Klaus had ever heard then collapsed against him. " You did great little wolf, you did great" he said as he brushed his face on the side of her face. Hayley closed her eyes and breathed heavily, absorbing the warmth and energy that was emanating from him.

Just when she was about to get lost in the moment they heard frail screams. They would have gotten concerned but those frail screams turned into a strong wail. Hayley's eyes filled with tears as Sabine walked towards then with their bundle of joy wrapped up in a lavender blanket. Klaus just sat there, still shocked that it had actually happened. She was finally here.

Sabine placed the baby girl in Hayley's arms. " She is stunning you guys, Hayley you did a great job", " I'll go tell everyone the good news and give you guys a moment alone"

"Sabine…." Klaus said he looked down at his daughter in Hayley's arms, "thank you". He was completely in love with her already. "Hello Nikol" He said, smiling as he played with her tiny fingers. Rebekah had insisted on throwing Hayley a baby shower a month ago so they had decided on a name then, Nikol Andrea Mikaelson.

He wanted to hold her, but Hayley was completely mesmerized with her and he didn't want to interrupt her. Instead he just gently brushed her back and smiled as they admired the product of their fated night of passion.

Hayley looked up at him and smiled, she couldn't believe that something so beautiful came from them. "Can you believe she's ours?" she asked him.

"No love, I can not" he said as he continued to admire Nikol.

"Klaus…." He looked up and their eyes met. He felt an unfamiliar urge come over him. He wanted to just crash his lips against hers, but he knew better. Instead he just stared at her intensely.

"I just wanted to say…" She didn't know what had come over her. Maybe it was because of influx of emotions from finally meeting her daughter, or maybe it was because she had finally decided to just let all of her inhibitions go. She felt deeply connected to him now. A connection she didn't think she would be able to fight much longer. She reached out one of her hands to cup his face. "I'm happy you're the one I get to share this with"

And with those words he finally let go. He decided to stop fighting what he knew he felt all along; he felt the same way too. There was no one else he would rather be sharing this with. Without saying anything he grabbed the hand that was touching his face and gently pulled her in for a kiss. His lips crashed against hers with a passion that he had never felt before and her lips met his with the equal passion. They both had finally accepted that whether they wanted to or not, they were falling for each other and tonight they were no longer going to hide it.

Elijah, Rebekah, Sabine and Marcel walked up to the door eagerly anticipating meeting the newest addition to the Mikaelson family, but what they saw instead made them stop in their tracks. Instead of meeting Nikol they got to witness the beginning of the new Mikaelson Family: Klaus, Hayley, and Nikol…


	2. Chapter 2

Rebekah, Elijah and everyone else decided not to interrupt the moment they got to witness. They were all well aware of the chemistry between Klaus and Hayley. Each often wondering if they would ever get out of their own way to let themselves love each other.

Rebekah knew it would never happen. Niklaus Mikaelson didn't have a real sense of what true love was. She supposed that wasn't entirely his fault but she had her doubts of him ever really finding it. A part of her also kind of wished he never did since he has robbed her of quite a few loves of the course of 1000 years. Still, she smiled when she saw him there with his arms around Hayley. She even envied him for a few moments because she knew he was at the brink of something she always wanted. As much as she hated Klaus sometimes, the idea of him maybe finding real happiness made her happy.

"Well now, how long are we going to let those two go at it? I do believe I'm not the only one who wants to see my niece sometime this century". She asked while plopping back down on the couch in the main room.

"Oh be patient Rebekah, we've waited this long, what's a few minutes longer" Elijah spoke up interrupting her rant.

"A few minutes? The way those two we're kissing I'd say we will be out here for at least another hour, maybe more" she replied with a slightly disgusted look on her face.

"Elijah is right Rebekah, let's give them time, you have no Idea how difficult it was in there for them, especially Hayley. Klaus looked like he was either going to pass out or kill all of us every five minutes. I think they just need to let off some steam," Sabine chimed in, letting out a light chuckle. Everyone knew what she meant by letting off some steam.

Marcel laughed as he sat up on the couch he was sitting on. "More like creating some steam. I have a feeling Klaus has wanted to do that again since the night he and wolf girl knocked boots"

"Knocked boots?" Rebekah asked while Elijah looked on just as confused.

"oh you know, hit the sheets, made love, had wild wolf sex. You're a thousand years old I didn't think I would have to spell it out for you" Marcel quipped, letting out another laughed that annoyed Elijah.

Sabine also laughed, Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Marcel spare us the uncomfortable lesson please," Elijah said as he sighed.

The room fell silent again, all growing impatient. They wanted to see the new little princess of the Mikaelson family.

Klaus and Hayley lost themselves in each other's lips. Their kisses alternated in intensity as they rode a wave of passion and tenderness that drove both of them deeper and deeper into each other's beings.

Klaus knew he could stay like this all day with her and Hayley knew that she could let him. Unfortunately for them Nikol had other plans. They weren't sure how long they were lost but it felt like forever, for Nikol it was a little too long. They were both snapped out of their trance when the newborn began to cry. The tender cries released from her tiny body made them all too aware of where they were and what they were. When they opened their eyes they both gasped and immediately pulled away from the kiss. Klaus looked away towards the window and Hayley peered down at the crying baby in her arms, both of them embarrassed by their behavior.

"Hey sweetie, I see you need to be the center of attention like your father already" she said, gently picking up Nikol and resting her on her chest.

Klaus smirked as he looked at Hayley gently rubbing Nikol's back to comfort her.

"Actually love I think that is a trait she inherited from you, I do believe you where the one sulking around this place pleading for attention the entire time you were pregnant".

"I did no such thing!" Hayley replied, gently laughing. Her attempts to comfort Nikol must have worked because the newborn was now quiet as a mouse against her mother's chest.

Klaus stared at his daughter's face as she lay there peacefully. He reached out a hand to lightly caress her tiny back.

"Are you ready to hold her?"

He wasn't sure how to respond. He wanted desperately to hold her, to shower her with all of his affection, but he was afraid to. He was afraid he would hurt her. He was afraid that the darkness inside him would seep through his finger and infect her like a virus. He didn't want to ever hurt his daughter, physically, emotionally, or mentally, but he was deathly afraid that he would. It was in his nature, how could it not be the same when it came to his daughter. He had done many despicable things over the course of his 1000 years, most without remorse, but ruining her was something he would never forgive himself for.

"umm…"

Hayley sensed his apprehension. She still has a lot to learn about the hybrid, but she knew that he was afraid of hurting her.

"Klaus it's okay, you won't hurt her. You're her father; you'll never hurt her." She said in an attempt to soothe his fears.

"How are you so sure? How do you know I won't ever hurt her? I've hurt every person who's ever been in my life…including you."

He had never really been open to anyone about his fears of fatherhood. He and Hayley and talked about parenting a few times but he usually just put on a brave face during the conversations, not wanting to expose her to his day to day internal battles. Now he felt like part of the strong facade he had put up for so long was gradually being exposed and he was oddly okay with it. If there was anyone he would let into the inter depths of his mind it was Hayley.

"I don't deserve her Hayley, I don't deserve to be able to hold something so undefiled in my arms. I don't deserve any of this" he said motioning towards Hayley and the baby, " and I'm afraid that one day she will know it and hate me because of it"

Hayley wasn't shocked that he felt that way but she was shocked that he actually admitted it to her. She knew the feeling. She has spent many nights alone wondering why the universe would give people like her and Klaus something so special. As grateful as she was for this gift, she was scared out of her mind that her daughter would one day grow up and resent the universe for sticking her with them.

To klaus's surprise Hayley started to laugh. "Is my fear amusing to you? Here I thought I might actually open up for a change-"

"No Klaus, it's not" Hayley interrupted him, shifting Nikol to her arms. She slowly made her way closer to Klaus and picked Nikol up.

"What on earth are you doing little wolf?"

"Just relax and stick you arms out please, Klaus trust me it will be fine"

"But I don't-"

Before he could continue putting up a fight Hayley had Nikol in his outstretched arms.

"See, she's still in one piece isn't she? She's right here in your arms and she's still the same undefiled baby she was 2 minutes ago."

"I wasn't laughing because I found your fears amusing, I was laughing because I realized just how stubborn we both are. I know exactly how you feel, maybe if we took down these walls a little we could actually help each other"

Klaus looked down at Nikol, still not quite processing what Hayley meant. Hayley picked his chin up so that he could look at her.

"The entire time I was pregnant I had some of the same fears. What if I hurt her, what if I abandon her one day like I was abandoned, what if she abandons me or ends up hating me, but when I saw her all of that disappeared. When I looked into her eyes I knew there was nothing in this world that would make me hurt or leave her. I'm her mother, and I would rather die than inflict the pain that I experienced on her. You're her father and I know that despite all your flaws you would rather die before you did what was done to you to her, so you need to hold her, and hold her close, she's yours and nothing will ever change that"

Klaus looked down at Nikol and a tear escaped his eye. He gently lifted his daughter up and placed her against his chest. He let out a deep sigh and griped her closer to him, not ever wanting to let her go. Hayley was right, she was his, nothing would ever change that and he would drive a white oak stake into his own chest before he would ever hurt her in anyway.

Hayley looked on and smiled. Maybe they would actually make good parents, she thought to herself. Maybe they just might make it through this together. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, silently hoping she was right about it all.

"She's beautiful," Klaus said, interrupting her thoughts. "Beautiful, just like her mother"

Hayley wasn't one to get excited over compliments but hearing him say that made her blush. She didn't know what was happening between her and Klaus but she wasn't about to question it, not tonight at least. Even if it were just for one night, she would enjoy this night, a night where she, Klaus, and Nikol were a family, just the three of them.

"Yes she is beautiful. She has your eyes, I could look at them all day"

Klaus took a second from admiring Nikol's striking features to grab Hayley's hand.

"Thank you little wolf"

She smiled; she knew exactly what he was thanking her for. "You know you may have to find a new nickname for me, seems like we have a new little wolf"

"No love" Klaus said shaking his head. "You will always be little wolf to me, we'll just have to coin a new nickname for her". Klaus looked up at Hayley and once again their eyes met and elicited the same urge to crash his lips against hers as before. They both leaned in closer, anticipating their lips meeting with the same desire as before.

"So are you guys going to hog my little niece all night? Some of us would like to meet her sometime this decade " Rebekah yelled, causing them to pull away before they got the chance to act on their desires again.

Klaus rolled his eyes, not amused by his sister's impatience. Hayley laughed.

"She does have a point Klaus, we have been keeping her all to ourselves so far. We should let everyone meet our little angel"

"Very well then, I guess we can let the peasants be graced with her magnificent presence", he said as he lifted Nikol up and placed a light kiss on her forehead.

"Hey I heard that!" Rebekah barked back as she burst in the room, followed by the rest of their family and friends.

Hayley just sat back and laughed. She knew Klaus and Rebekah were about to get into a verbal sparring match over their daughter. She leaned back in the bed taking a deep breath as she closed her eyes. This was her really her family now. Underneath all the dysfunction and chaos, the hurt and the betrayals, was a family, something she had never really experienced until now.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you guys for all the reviews! I'm glad you guys like the story! Make sure you keep reviewing and give me feedback. The pace of this story will move a little slow for these first couple chapter since I really want to capture everything that comes with the birth of a new baby. The pace will pick up after a few more chapters I promise :) Also don't be afraid to give me suggestions of things you would like me to write. I have a pretty good idea of where I want to take the story but there are still a few things I haven't worked out yet. Let me know your ideas and I'll try to incorporate them however I can! Okay enough rambling enjoy the update! **

Nikol had dark brown hair and a round face just like her mother. Even in her wrinkly, fresh out of the womb state she was a beautiful baby. She looked mostly like Hayley with a few shades of Klaus sprinkled in. She had his icy blue eyes, hot pink lips and two small dimples. Rebekah finally managed to get her away from Klaus, but only after several minutes of exchanging insults and Elijah intervening. Everyone else flooded Klaus and Hayley with praise for their extraordinary gift. They all swarmed Rebekah as soon as she pried Nikol from Klaus's grips, each admiring her and attempting to get her away from Rebekah.

"This little thing has only been her for an hour and she's already causing a family rift, I do believe she is your daughter Nik" quipped Rebekah to the amusement of everyone else.

"She wouldn't be a Mikaelson if her presence didn't start trouble, I think that's a trait she get's from all three of you Originals, it's no surprise my sire's daughter is the same" Marcel chimed in. He had been as anxious as everyone else to meet Nikol. He and Klaus had their ups and downs since his unexpected return to New Orleans but that didn't change the fact that Klaus raised him like a son. He was only a boy when Klaus took him in. Klaus taught him everything he knew and sired him. He loved klaus like a father at one point in time and in certain ways he still did. He was probably the most shocked out of everyone in the room to hear about Klaus fathering a child. At the time he and Klaus were at odds, even then he never let the thought of harming the baby ever enter his mind. Now that he and Klaus had began to mend their relationship he looked at Nikol like a little sister. He had never had siblings and outside of the Mikaelsons centuries ago, the only family he has ever known was the vampire community he led. Many in that same vampire community secretly questioned Klaus's intentions and many wondered if he would just raise her to be a little demon to unleash hell on them all. Marcel knew better though. He knew that Klaus had the capacity to love a child because he had experienced that love himself. Klaus didn't know it but marcel made a vow to his self before Nikol was born that he would do everything in his power to protect her, even if it meant protecting her against the same community he looked at as family.

He walked over to Rebekah and played with her little fingers. "Little Mikaelson, nice to finally meet you! I'm marcel, whenever all these originals give you a headache you just come to me" He cooed and marveled at her along with Rebekah as she peeked through her tiny eye lids at them and let out the most adorable little yawn.

"Already bored with Marcel's presence nikol? That's my girl!" she said, giving Marcel a quick nudge with her elbow. "You and I are going to have lots of fun together. Your aunt Rebekah will make sure you are the most fashionable baby New Orleans has ever seen."

"How are you feeling Hayley? After almost 26 hours of labor I'm surprised you're still awake, for a while I really thought this little thing would zap every ounce of energy you had" Sabine questioned, taking the attention away from Marcel and Rebekah's fawning over Nikol.

"She did" Hayley sighed as she moved around in her bed trying to get comfortable. "I am exhausted"

"Do you want to rest little wolf? I can have Rebekah and everyone else out of here in under 30 seconds I you so desire"

"No, Klaus it's fine. Let everyone enjoy our daughter. I'll rest a little later" She liked how accommodating and attentive he was trying to be, but she held off showing it in front of all the people in the room.

"Let me know if you start feeling anything weird or of you need anything Hayley. I'll stay here through the night in case you need my help with anything, really don't hesitate to ask"

"Thank you Sabine"

Sabine became a close family friend after helping Hayley with some of her prenatal care. She had grown really fond of Hayley and she was the one who figured out that Hayley was carrying a girl. After helping Elijah locate Hayley when Tyler Lockwood kidnapped her, she Elijah began a romance. They have been almost inseparable since then. She noticed that he was off to the other side of the room sitting quietly while everyone else bombarded Nikol with love and affection. She found his behavior strange considering how fond he had gown of Hayley and the baby after helping her a lot early on in her pregnancy. Sabine knew he was crazy about his niece already so his detachment sparked her curiosity. She walked over to him to figure out what was going through his 1000-year-old mind.

"Elijah..." She sat down in the chair across from him. "Why are you way over here, don't you want to actually see your niece up close and hold her?"

"Yes of course" Elijah let out, trying to disguise his apprehensiveness.

"Well you can't do that from way over here. Something's up with you, what's really going on?"

"I didn't want to seem too, how shall I put this…eager to get my hands on her. Niklaus has expressed to me before his fears of me somehow replacing him in his child's life as a father figure. I don't want to provoke those insecurities, especially tonight of all nights, by appearing too excited about his child's birth, so I thought it best I just take a backseat to everyone else, there will be plenty of time for me to get to know her"

Sabine knew what he was trying to achieve but it still bothered her that he would try to pretend that everything that was happening wasn't a big deal. "But Elijah you can't just sit here the whole time, this is an occasion to be celebrated by everyone, I'm sure Klaus-"

"Brother you are more than welcome to join in on the festivities over here"

An awkward silence invaded the space between the two brothers. Klaus could hear Sabine and Elijah's conversation from where he was sitting on the bed and he had been listening in from the beginning. He internally rolled his eyes; amused that Elijah would think he would be concerned with him on today of all days. Sure he had is fair share of complexes when it came to Elijah but no one, not even the oh so noble Elijah, could ruin this occasion. "I mean really, I insist upon it. The quicker everyone has had their opportunity to marvel at her the quicker Hayley and I-" he motioned over his shoulder to where Hayley was seated only to see that she was sound asleep. He smirked. "-well _I_ would get her all to myself again. So come along now, you wouldn't want to deprive a new father of his daughter all night would you?" Klaus turned his focus to Hayley, admiring her as she slept peacefully curled up at his side. For a woman who had just been through 26 hours of agony that included blood, sweat, and tears, she was still incredibly beautiful to him. He started to reach towards her to gently caress her angelic face but the sound of a moving chair quickly broke him out of his trance and reminded him that they weren't alone.

Elijah slowly started making his way towards the group with Sabine in tow. When they finally reached where Rebekah and Marcel were standing he looked out the corner of his eyes to see Klaus watching him closely. Rebekah looked up disappointedly, she wasn't ready to hand her niece over just yet but she knew she couldn't be selfish. "Well hurry up and take her Elijah we aren't going to wait around all day while you just stare". She slowly extended the child out to Elijah, who gently eased her into his arms. "She's a tiny little thing brother"

"She isn't a thing brother, she's my daughter you will show her the proper respect or I'll have you daggered in a box by sunrise" Klaus joked. Everyone else in the room rolled their eyes; Klaus couldn't fight the urge to threaten at least at least one of his siblings no matter the occasion.

"I do apologize my dear brother, I didn't mean the ruffle the delicate little feathers your pride is made of…She is a tiny little person, have I now shown the proper respect?"

"Yes I believe so"

The entire room erupted in laughter. The banter between the original siblings never disappointed.

The loud voices caused Hayley to shuffle in her sleep. Klaus felt her arm wrap around his waist, he thought about moving it for a second but he didn't want to interrupt her slumber. "It seems the little wolf finds our voices to be a disturbance, maybe we should go into the great room and give her sometime to rest in peace"

"She looks pretty peaceful right now to me Niklaus. I would even venture to say she's wouldn't want us to leave right now given how confortable she seems to be" Rebekah nodded her head in Hayley's direction. Drawing the attention of the room to Hayley entangled in the sheets and Klaus. They all looked on, not daring to say another word about the level of intimacy they have watched them shared tonight. Leave it to Rebekah to fill the room with awkwardness.

"Would you all please do as I say before I make you exit not only this room but the entire compound." He had hoped that he would be able to hide the tenderness that Hayley had brought out of him tonight, but of course it would be Rebekah to notice the even the slightest shift in his interactions with Hayley. He didn't know why the thought of them thinking they actually might have feelings for each other bothered him so much. There was something special about what was brewing between he and Hayley that made him want to protect it. Or maybe it had something to do with the fact that Hayley and the baby threatened to tear down every brick of the 1000-year-old wall he had built around his heart and soul. He wasn't even sure of how he felt about it but he knew that he couldn't let anyone see him in such a weakened state. He wasn't ready to let go of the façade.

Everyone started to leave the room and make their way to the great room. Klaus stayed behind for a few moments to make sure Hayley was okay. He bent down to brush her hair out of her face and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Sleep well little wolf". He placed the covers of the bed over her shoulders and reluctantly left her in the room to join the others. When he arrived in the great room Rebekah had one of his best bottles of scotch opened with a glass poured and waiting for him.

"Ahh sister you read my mind, you know me quite well!" He took the glass from Rebekah and stood in the center of the room. " I'd like to propose a toast." He lifted his glass proudly and continued. " To the original family…for 1000 years we never thought we would see a day like this one, now our line continues…always and forever"

Rebekah walked over to Klaus and Elijah handed Nikol over to Sabine so that he could join his siblings. They each raised their glasses. "Always and forever" they said in unison before downing their drinks.

"Well would you look at this, the Mikaelson family is having a moment, I think hell may have frozen over" Marcel Interrupted, raising his glass he joined in on the toast. "To the original family"

For the first time since the day they were all turned into vampires, they all felt incredibly human, and normal, and they each had to admit it felt good. Over time they had become disconnected from the human existence they once knew, but here they were, basking in one of the most human things imaginable, new life. They each exchanged glances; unsure of what to do next, they didn't want to moment to end but none of them knew how to really exist the way they currently existed. They had existed in such a dysfunctional state for so long that normalcy felt foreign. Rebekah was the first to break awkward silence. "Congratulations Niklaus, I'm quite jealous you get to call that beautiful little girl yours"

"Thank you little sister"

"To echo our sister's sentiment, congratulations little brother. I remember the day we told you about Hayley's pregnancy and you're reaction, it wasn't pleasant but I knew that if you could just open yourself to this child it would be just what this family needed to begin to heal, I'm glad you did. I believe fatherhood just might suit you well Niklaus"

"Oh Elijah, still a sentimental fool"

"I have to agree Nik but Elijah seems to be rubbing off on you, I wouldn't be too quick to rub it in his face considering your behavior today"

"And what do you mean by that sister?"

"Oh nothing Nik." Rebekah smirked; she knew she was dangerously close to pushing one of his buttons. She told herself she would save that conversation for another day.

Just as the tension was about to build between the three siblings Nikol started to cry. Marcel was holding her and looking at the wailing child in confusion.

"Marcel what did you do to her!" he asked angrily as he made his way to where they were seated.

"Klaus I swear I didn't do anything!" Nikol's screams grew louder and panic took over Klaus's face. "Well someone do something!"

"Give her here marcel" Sabine reached over and took the screaming child from his arms. She attempted to calm her down but it wasn't working. "Here Klaus take her, let her know everything is okay, she probably just wants her father." She handed the baby over to Klaus, who looked absolutely terrified.

"What am I supposed to do?"

Rebekah laughed at how overwhelmed Klaus was, it was a rare sight.

"This isn't funny Rebekah! Since this is so amusing to you what do you suggest I do?"

"Oh Nik just rock her or something, that's what mother used to do with Henrick"

"Does anyone here know anything useful about babies?"

Silence filled the room. None of them actually knew a thing about babies. Sabine knew a little bit but she has never really cared for a child past the birthing stage. Nikol's screams grew even louder and she started to kick her little feet out. Klaus held her cupped in his hands. He was getting a crash course in fatherhood and life with a newborn. So far he was failing miserably. He sighed and bowed his head carefully placing her on his shoulder. "Nikol, would you please stop crying, no one is going to hurt you I promise". His pleas fell on deaf ears and she continued screaming. Just when he was about to give up and compel her to stop crying he heard Hayley's voice

"Give her to me Klaus"

He turned around to see Hayley in the doorframe observing his attempts to calm their daughter. She had woken up when she heard Nikol's cries fill the compound. She wished she could stay asleep but she was a mother now and her daughter needed her so she peeled herself out of bed and made her way to the main room where she found Klaus unable to calm her down.

"Hayley, you should still be in bed"

"No Klaus, she needs her mother"

"So you don't think I'm capable? Well that's nice to know Hayley" He sighed and handed Nikol over to Hayley. It drove him mad that he couldn't get her to stop crying. It wasn't that big of a deal but it made him feel unqualified to be a father. How was he supposed to raise her if he couldn't even get her to stop crying?

Hayley didn't have time to tend to Klaus's wounded ego. "Could you not wallow in self pity right now? It's not that big of a deal she's probably just hungry"

Klaus just looked at her, he was angry, as usual. She rolled her eyes and lightly patted her daughter on her back. "Shhhhhh, mommy is here Nikol, it's okay." She slowly started walking towards the door to head to the nursery.

"Well don't let me get in the way of your motherly duties" He stormed past her in the hall, stopping at the table by the door to grab a bottle of scotch.

"She hasn't even been here for a day and you're already leaving her to drink away the pain of your bruised ego, typical Klaus, typical"

Hayley knew she was being a little harsh he was behaving like such a child. Still, part of her regretted her reaction because she knew it would only push him away. Why did he have to be so easily provoked? She thought to herself. Is this what she had to look forward to? Him walking away from them, his family, whenever he was upset?

He paused at the door and turned to face her. Nikol was still crying and he could see Hayley fighting back tears. What was wrong with him? Why was he being so selfish? Why was he so easily wounded when she did nothing wrong? Guilt was starting to hit him.

"Well don't just stand there leave if you're gonna leave!" She yelled out as she retreated to the nursery to feed Nikol. She knew she probably shouldn't have said that but she was angry and she wasn't some weak wounded girl who cried when people walked away from her. She could dish it out just as much as he could.

He turned and opened the door, slamming it violently on his way out. He knew what he was doing was selfish but he didn't care. The need to drown away his sorrows in alcohol far outweighed the guilt he felt for leaving.

"Well he didn't waste anytime reverting back to the Niklaus we all know and reluctantly love". Rebekah said, taking a much-needed sip of her drink. She and Elijah had witnessed the entire altercation from the great room, both disappointed in his behavior. "So I assume you'll be headed out to find him and teach him the error of his ways, isn't that your life's mission Elijah?"

"On the contrary sister, I'm going up to bed. Niklaus isn't a child. I believe he needs to teach himself the error of his ways; otherwise he'll never be able to successfully parent our niece. He'll be back soon enough, he has a daughter to think about now that should mean something to him"

"You my dear brother have entirely to much faith in Niklaus"

"Well he's proven me right before, I'm sure he will do it again"


	4. Chapter 4

Klaus found himself frozen outside of the massive compound. When he walked away from Hayley and out of the door he had it in his mind that he was going to the nearest bar but he never made it there. Every time he got ready to open the gates to leave Nikol's face flashed before him and he lost his nerve. He lingered at the gates for a little while but couldn't bring himself to actually open them. Instead he wandered to a secluded area just on the outskirts of the property. It was a familiar place for him. When he and his siblings ruled the city 100 years ago he would often find his self in the secluded area. It was dark and hidden; no one really knew where it was but him. It was where he would go when he needed to get away from everyone, to clear his head. It had become a sanctuary for him when he wanted to wallow in his loneliness or sadness. It was no surprise he ended up there on this night.

He sat on the stone bench he had put there all those years ago with his bottle of scotch besides him. He let out a deep sigh and lowered his head. "What am I doing?" he said out loud. It had been the best day of his life, a day where he got something that he never thought was possible, a day where he fell in love at first sight and finally felt like his eternal life had meaning. Yet here he was, in an all too familiar place and in an all too familiar state, alone. Hayley Marshall had just given birth to his daughter. They had finally gotten out of their own heads and let themselves fall victim to their desires, and he had hurt her already. He was the strongest person walking the earth but inside he was still an easily wounded little boy. What she said shouldn't have even hurt him, but it did. If it had been anyone else telling him to suck it up he wouldn't have care but something about it being Hayley wounded him. She had an ability to read him like no other and it drove him mad and enthralled him all at the same time.

He stared out into the darkness trying to block out the voices in his head with the sounds of the electric nightlife of the French quarter. He listened to the cars pass and the people laughing. He envied the happiness he heard in the streets. He envied the people he saw walking without the weight of 1000 years on their shoulders, people who let go of all inhibitions and enjoyed the world and the people in it. He envied the people he would never be, the people who grabbed ahold to happiness and never let it go. He was the person who ruined the happiness of others not the person who experienced it. He'd ruined Rebekah's happiness for centuries, Elijah's too and now he had he ruined the happiest day of his and Hayley's life.

Her words rang between his ears as he thought about his actions, "typical Klaus, typical". "Will I always be this way?" he wondered. When Elijah first started all this talk of his "redemption" he wrote it off as another one of Elijah's grand delusions. That all changed the day Hayley told him it was a girl. That night he retreated to his quarters and smiled for hours until he fell asleep. He dreamed of her face and her laugh and actually entertained the idea of having "redemption", of actually having happiness and a family of his own. Of course that didn't last long. He had learned as a boy that happiness was always fleeting for him, there was always going to be someone waiting in the wings to take it away from him, so over the years he learned to launch a preemptive strike to spare himself the pain of the inevitable. It wasn't a surprise that he repeated the cycle again tonight, letting it in and shutting it out. It was typical Klaus. Maybe he would always be typical Klaus.

He shook his head to snap himself out if his inner monologue and focused on the world around him again. Hayley and Nikol's face flashed before him again and overwhelming guilt took over. How could he walk out on them? How could he even think of leaving his beautiful little girl who meant everything to him? How could he leave Hayley alone to tend to her when they were supposed to be in this together? He knew he was only leaving for a night. It wasn't like he as walking out on them forever but what it symbolized is what got to him the most. Today he walked out after a wounded pride, but what would happen if it were more than that one-day? Would he leave for days? Months? Forever? Deep down he knew he would never leave them forever but he wasn't going to delude himself into thinking that walking out wasn't a habit. He let his thoughts linger for a little while longer and finally came to the realization that he could no longer be the typical Klaus. He had to break the habits, break the cycle, or he would ruin his daughter just as he was ruined, and that's something he couldn't live an eternity with. He wasn't sure how he would do it just yet, all he knew was he needed to go back to his home. He needed to go back to his daughter and her mother.

He slowly stood up and made his way back inside the compound. When he walked back through the door he placed the unopened bottle of scotch back on the table he took it from and made his way up the stairs to find Hayley.

He didn't notice Rebekah sitting in the study. She had heard him come in and almost made a smart remark but she noticed the weary look on his face and decided against it. She was surprised he had only stayed gone for 45 minutes; she thought for sure it would be morning before she saw him again. "Maybe Elijah was right after all?" she thought to herself. Maybe, just maybe he was capable of teaching himself the error of his ways.

When Klaus finally reached the nursery he paused. He wasn't really good at apologies since he's never really had many remorseful moments over the centuries. He almost lost his nerve but quickly remembered that this was something he needed to do, and knowing himself he would be doing it often so he might as well get used to it. He stood at the door for a few more moments, watching Hayley in her custom oversized rocking chair. She was trying to get Nikol to sleep but the infant was wide-awake. He could see that the exhaustion was taking its toll on her. He took a deep breath and slowly approached her.

"Hayley…"

She looked up at him, startled by his presence. She had been crying since he walked out the front door. She was frustrated and hurt , and she was physically exhausted. Plus she struggled with her first time attempting to breast-feed and Nikol had screamed for a good 20 minutes after he left. To say she was overwhelmed would be an understatement. She felt like she was already failing as a mother and it was getting to her. She looked up at him and quickly turned away, not wanting him to see how out of sorts she was. She didn't want him to think he had the power to affect her that much.

"Hayley, I…"

His voice trailed off before he could get out what he wanted to say. Seeing her in the state she was in made him feel even guiltier. He stood in silence again, unable to put his thoughts into words.

Hayley just sat in her chair and continued to rock Nikol. She really wanted to hit him with a few more verbal bullets. She was angry after all, but then she thought about how that would just upset him and make him leave again and she didn't have the energy for another argument. She could tell he was struggling to verbalize why he was currently standing at her door. There was desperation behind the way he said her name. It washed her anger away and replaced it with sadness. She wanted to hear what he had to say so she finally decided to break the silence.

"You came back, I'm surprised"

He let her words linger in the air for a few seconds before responding,

"Yes, well I… I shouldn't have left in the first place." He slowly stepped closer and closer to her until he was directly In front of her. She kept her head down, refusing to look him in the eyes. The sight of Nikol distracted him for a moment. She was so beautiful.

" As I was saying, I shouldn't have left the way I did. It was childish of me and I deeply regret it, please forgive me"

"Is this how you give someone a sincere apology?" He thought to his self. It wasn't his first time saying he was sorry but it was one of the first times he actually meant it. The words felts strange falling off of his tongue, he had lived for 1000 years yet this was all so foreign to him.

She finally looked up at him, her hazel eyes piercing his soul. "I shouldn't have snapped at you like I did Klaus, it's just that I thought we… I mean I was mad that you were so upset with me for no reason."

"You don't have to apologize to me love, I was being unreasonable and I admit it"

"I wasn't trying to imply that you couldn't handle her Klaus. I thought you would know that after earl-" , she thought twice about bringing up what happened earlier between them, she didn't want to tackle that yet and he probably didn't either. "I mean I don't get why u had such a tantrum. That's not okay Klaus. You walked out on me with a newborn, she hasn't been here a day and you're already storming off. I don't even know how long you were gone but it doesn't matter you abandoned us"

Inside she cringed at her use of the word us, it just slipped out, she wasn't sure she would even call them an "us" right now but it was too late to take it back. She meant everything she said though. She felt abandoned for the umpteenth time in her life. His walking out of her life lasted only minutes but it felt like an eternity. An old wound was ripped wide open, a wound she wasn't ready to deal with. All she knew was that it was something she wasn't going to accept anymore, especially not from him.

He sighed. He knew she wouldn't make it easy. Her fearlessness and her audacity to call him out was one of the things that originally attracted him to her. He knew she wouldn't let him off the hook easily.

"I know, I just…" He wanted to tell her exactly what was going through his mind when he snapped on her but he couldn't bring himself to do it. "I don't know what came over me Hayley. I reacted like a child toward the slightest offense; I guess you could say it's so natural for me that I almost don't know how to be any other way. It's not an excuse but it's the truth."

He took another deep breath and looked into her eyes hoping to find any sort of understanding, instead he only found hurt.

"I know what you must be thinking-"

"Don't pretend to know what goes through my head Klaus. I already know what's about to happen, your going to say that you know I'm thinking that you're a terrible person, and a bad father who will walk out of Nikol's life anytime he gets upset. Don't look to me for a pity party Klaus because I won't give you one and you don't need one"

He was taken back. She was able to read him even better than he thought.

"Well little wolf, since you seem to know me so well what do I need?"

"You need to stop thinking the worst of yourself and you need to start giving others the chance to think the best of you. I don't think any of those things. What I was thinking was that you're a temperamental jerk and that what you did was childish and selfish, that pretty much sums it up."

He let out a light chuckle. Of all the things he'd been called and thought of his self, jerk was very far down on the list. He stepped back towards the window in the nursery and stared at the moon for a few moments. He let her words marinate within his mind for a bit while silence filled the room once again.

"Is she asleep yet?"

"No, she's still wide awake. At this rate I'll be up the rest of the night, guess that's something we'll have to get used to"

" I guess it is little wolf", he said as he peered out of the window again. There was something about the moon that was so calming for him

"You know on nights like this the moon is the most calming thing in the universe"

Hayley looked up at its glow. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as if she was breathed its energy into her lungs. "I know" she responded.

"Perhaps our daughter might feel the same."

He turned to face her with his arms extended, motioning towards their restless daughter in her arms "Would you mind?"

She stopped rocking and slowly stood up

"No of course not"

She carefully placed her in his arms. He cradled her in his arms a lifted her up a little so that he could whisper in her tiny ears. Hayley stood off to the side observing him closely.

"I love you Nikol Andrea Mikaelson," he whispered. Her little body squirmed in his arms and she stared at him. Call him crazy but he was sure she knew he meant it.

"Now how about you let your mother and I get some rest"

He stood silently at the window staring at her, letting the rays of the moon frame her features as he admired them. Hayley approached them from behind. Reaching over Klaus's arms to graze her hand with the back of her fingers. She wasn't angry anymore or sad, it was almost as if the moon swooped in and washed all the tension away. She wasn't complaining.

" I think we just survived our first fight," she said, giving him a slight toothless smile.

"Did we little wolf?" He responded as he looked over at her slightly amused.

"Yeah I think we did. Why don't you try patting her lightly on her back, one of the books I read said most babies find that comforting"

He moved on his hands slightly and lightly patted her. "Like this?"

"Yeah just like that"

She looked at Nikol who was already closing her eyes. "Great after all that time rocking her this is how she finally decides to fall asleep,"

She was slightly jealous but the sight of her daughter being put to sleep by her father quickly erased that from her mind. "I guess you were right, she's comforted by the moon just as we are, how did you know?"

"Well I figured she is our daughter, it would only be natural for her to take comfort in the moon. I guess it's something all three of us share now".

He takes his attention from his sleeping daughter for a brief moment to look up at Hayley. She diverts her eyes from the moon to his and they loose themselves in each other's gazes.

He feels a familiar desire for her stir within him. She was absolutely beautiful with the glow of the moon illuminating her skin. Every striking feature she possessed was magnified by it. He stilled his thoughts to contemplate what he should do next. He knew what he wanted to do, and oh did he want to do lots of things. Yet even though they crossed that line earlier in the night he still felt wrong for the intense notions currently running through his mind. He surmised that they were similar to the thoughts of the two young lovers he saw earlier indulging in the thrills of the French quarter. The ones he envied. Even now, as he finds himself adrift her hazel pupils, they weren't those people; they would never be those people.

As much as she tried to fight it she never let her gaze loose his. She could see the fire burning behind his pupils and she could feel its heat on her skin. This wasn't the first time she found herself in this position. One night she ventured into one of the corridors of the house after a fit of restlessness. She was seeking out the moon and found him doing the same thing. There were no words exchanged, just mutual understandings. They stood side bye side and let the moon take them over. They were connected to it and it was connected to them and now she and Klaus were connected to each other. She remembers him he whispered goodnight to her as she retreated to her quarters, causing her to turn around and meet his gaze. "Goodnight" she whispered before returning to her room to lose herself in one of the most peaceful nights of rest she had ever experienced.

Now here they were again, indulging in a familiar high and all she could think about was lying in his arms and bathing in the moon. They were starting to drift closer and closer as if they were magnets searching for their corresponding poles. Before the pull got too strong Hayley pulled back, opting instead to rest her head on his shoulder. He was content with her actions, grateful that she would show him any form of tenderness after his earlier behavior. Time moved on as they just stood there, neither one of them having enough will power to interrupt the moment.

Klaus didn't know how long they were standing there, but next thing he knew Hayley was asleep on his shoulder. He smiled to his self and looked at the two slumbering ladies he was tangled up in. He felt content with life. He shifted Nikol to his other arm and used his free hand to slowly guide Hayley to her chair without waking her. He then walked to Nikol's crib and gently placed the sleeping newborn in it. He leaned in and lightly kissed her little forehead.

"Sleep well my little princess, sleep well".

After making sure Nikol stayed asleep he went over to Hayley. "Let's get you to bed little wolf".

He carefully took her into his arms, carrying her out of the nursery and into her adjourning room. He pulled back the plush bedding on her massive bed, placed her in on the side he knew she liked to sleep, and pulled the covers over her shoulders. Removing her hair from her face he left her with a kiss on her forehead before the retreated to his bedroom.

"Sleep well little wolf, sleep well"

* * *

**A/N: Once again thank you guys for reading and reviewing! So I said in advanced that this story was going to be angsty. Hope you guys can bear with me. Next Chapter there will be a slight time jump (finally lol). Don't forget to leave any suggestions of you have any!**


	5. Chapter 5

"Waa waa unhuh unhuh waaaaa waaaaa WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Hayley forced her eyes open and let out a heavy sigh as she reluctantly pushed her covers off. She was half-asleep and half awake but she slowly made her way out of her bed.

Nikol's piercing cries echoing throughout the corridors of the compound was a common occurrence these days. It had been almost 4 weeks since she was born and the youngest member of the Mikaelson family reminded everyone of her presence as much as she could.

At a snail's pace Hayley made her way to the door of Nikol's nursery. At first she was one of those really paranoid moms who sprinted to her crying baby as if her life was in danger every time she cried. She quickly learned that every cry wasn't indicative of a life or death situation and she relaxed a bit learning to decipher the meanings behind every cry. Oddly enough it was the most paranoid person in the house, Klaus, who convinced her to not freak out every time Nikol cried. Klaus surprisingly held his composure well when it came to Nikol.

He never seemed to be fazed by her sleepless nights and constant fussiness. While she was on the verge of a meltdown every few hours Klaus was cool calm and collected and it often drove her mad. Little did she know he was only putting up a front and whenever he left her presence he was on the verge of a meltdown too. After his outburst the night Nikol was born he told Hayley that he would no longer cope with life's happenings with the help of alcohol. She told him it wasn't necessary but he insisted, trying really hard to show everyone that he was capable of change. That lasted all a week but he kept that tidbit of information hidden from Hayley. She had no idea that Klaus would sneak off to indulge in his stash hidden in his quarters. It was pretty much routine for him to have at least 1 glass of scotch after dealing with Nikol and Hayley.

Rebekah was the only person who knew he had slipped back into his habit. She caught him red handed after she stormed into his quarters to beg him to get his daughter to stay quiet for just an hour so she could rest. Instead of scolding him she joined him and promised not to say anything. She would find herself sharing a drink with him frequently over the next few weeks.

No one was really prepared for what having a newborn in the house entailed. A place that was once littered with members of the supernatural community was now almost completely vacant. The kitchen was now cluttered with bottles and half the compound was drowned in baby supplies.

Klaus's paranoia caused the family to agree to limit the people in and out of the compound. He knew that no one would be able to harm her with three originals around but after his horrific run in with some really powerful New Orleans witches with a serious axe to grind he learned not to underestimate his enemies or anyone anymore. Everyone besides Marcel and Sabine were pretty much banned from the compound indefinitely. Klaus didn't even trust the compelled workers around the house so all of the household staff was sent on extended vacation as well. Everyone chipped in to help with the day-to-day functions of the household while Klaus and Hayley tended to Nikol. That plan worked out okay for a little while but after two weeks of just them in a house with a fussy newborn chaos was bound to strike. Klaus finally relented and allowed the house staff to return to the compound after his siblings and Hayley began to cause him unneeded stress. Of course each of them was compelled again and he made sure to issue out threats of slaughtering everyone they've ever loved should they cross him in any way. Things around the house returned slightly back to normal or at least as normal as it could get with 2 vampires, a hybrid, a werewolf, and a newborn all living together.

Hayley finally got to the nursery after what felt like a good 15 minutes of walking from her bed to the door. When she got there she was surprised to see Klaus in the middle of the nursery with Nikol on his bare chest frantically patting the crying baby on the back to calm her down.

"Oh look sweetheart your mother finally decided to make an appearance, took her long enough"

Hayley rubbed her eyes and walked up to them. "Don't start with me right now Klaus I'm not in the mood for it"

"Oh I'm sorry love I forgot you're the only tired one in this room" he snapped back.

"Seriously Klaus, we're going to do this at 4am? Didn't we just have this argument two nights ago? It's not my fault she won't stay asleep"

Klaus clenched his jaw and turned his back to her. He knew that it would infuriate her. With a new baby the tender moments they shared immediately following her birth had all but disappeared. They got to know each other better than they ever imagined in the short time since Nikol's birth but not in a good way. Klaus had attempted to be nicer the days following his outburst but Hayley wasn't as forgiving as he had first hoped and the more overwhelmed she got with the baby the more she snapped at him. He would in return either return her insults with one of his own or completely ignore her for a few hours. They learned how to push each other's buttons quickly and neither one missed an opportunity to do so.

"Why don't you just give her to me, you know you usually can't wait to dump her off on me like I'm the only one here who's a parent", she snapped back. "She's probably just hungry again anyway"

"Didn't you just feed her a few hours ago? I thought Sabine said she would get into a routine eventually, why hasn't she done that yet? This can't be normal"

"Yes but in case you haven't noticed nothing about her goes along with the rules Klaus"

They shared a slight laugh. Everything about Nikol starting with her conception defied the rules. Klaus turned his attention back to Nikol, who was still crying. He tried to whisper comforting words to her but nothing was working.

"Give her here and I'll try to feed her again, maybe that will get her to go back to sleep"

Klaus could tell that she was really tired and he started to feel bad. Being that she breastfeed and Nikol got really hungry at night she was usually the one who had to get up during the night with her and it was already starting to wear on her.

"I believe Rebekah said she didn't drink a few of her bottles from earlier. If you would be so kind as to go get one from the kitchen I'll stay up and feed her tonight"

"Seriously?"

"Ask me that again and I'll be happy to reconsider love"

Hayley smiled internally at his sudden generosity. She gave him a smirk before leaving the nursery. She returned with a nice warm bottle and handed it to Klaus who was sitting in the personalized chair he had put in the nursery. Just as she had suspected the newborn's cries stopped immediately and she devoured the bottle like she hadn't eaten all day.

"I see someone was really hungry" Klaus quipped as he peered down at her, amused by how aggressive she was.

"Just imagine what I go through, she attacks my breasts like a beast whenever it's time to feed"

That caused a chuckle to escape Klaus's lips and visions of the beastly attack he launched against her that night flooded his mind.

"Come on Hayley, I don't think I have to imagine what it's like to attack your breasts like a beast now do I" he said, looking at her suggestively.

Hayley couldn't contain her smile as she realized how she set herself up for that one. Not wanting him to see her flustered she turned and walked out of the room, not forgetting to hurl a final insult at him on her way out. "You're such a dick Klaus"

* * *

When Hayley finally woke up it was mid afternoon. The rays of the sun shined brightly through her large window causing her to cover her eyes as she pried herself away from her pillow. She couldn't remember the last time she slept that long during the night. She peeked her head into the nursery before getting dressed for the day and a huge smile came over her face. The two people she saw before shutting her eyes were both sound asleep. She walked over to Nikol to check on her then focused her attention to Klaus. The big bad hybrid was motionless in the corner he made for himself in the room. He stayed there the entire night. She was surprised by how peaceful he looked, like he didn't bear the weight of 1000 years worth of pain on his shoulders. It took everything in her to refrain from placing a tender kiss on his cheek. If she knew it wouldn't lead to her ending up right back in his arms she would have done it but she couldn't take that chance. She never really knew how to react when she had those kinds of urges. They caused thoughts to race through her mind that she wasn't ready to address, choosing instead to brush them off as mere fantasy, and she didn't have the time or the emotional capacity to dwell on fantasy.

Hayley quietly left the nursery, carefully closing the door as to not disturb Klaus and Nikol's slumber. She may not be willing to give into to her deep desires right now but she could do something nice for him in return for giving her a little break.

She headed downstairs where she found Rebekah, Elijah and Sabine enjoying lunch.

"The mama wolf is finally awake, how nice of you to join us Hayley. I'm assuming based on the lack of screaming that my little niece is still sound asleep," said Rebekah.

"Yes she is, she's asleep upstairs with her father actually". Hayley isn't really sure why but it made her feel proud to say those words. When she first found out she was pregnant with Klaus's child she expected to be abandoned. Never in a mission years did she think they would have the partnership they have now. It may have only been 4 weeks but her daughter had two parents to raise and love her, which was more than either of them had ever had.

"It seems Niklaus has taken quite well to fatherhood so far. I do admit I'm surprised by how involved he is already, I thought he would surely leave you to do most of the work." Elijah chimed in. He was proud of his little brother, he knew he had it in him but he didn't know he would see the gradual changes the baby would bring to his life this soon.

"Yeah well he still refuses to change a diaper so don't give him too much credit"

"The day I see Nik change a diaper is the day I become the mayor of New Orleans so don't get your hopes up Hayley". Rebekah wasn't ready to crown Klaus daddy of the year like Elijah.

"I wanted to ask one of you for a favor…."

Elijah stared with curiosity in his eyes and Rebekah rolled her eyes, "well spit it out Hayley"

Hayley hesitated to tell them her request afraid they would take it the wrong way and deduce that she had some non-platonic feelings for him. It was too late to back out now.

"I wanted to give Klaus his favorite meal for lunch today"

"There are blood bags in the refrigerator Hayley, what on earth would you need us for?" Elijah, who was now really curious, asked

"You of all people know that Klaus favors fresh blood Elijah. He stayed up through the night and the morning with Nikol so I thought it would be nice to bring his meal to him instead of making him go out and get it himself. I'm sure there's some poor soul roaming the quarter one of you can find for him to drain"

They both just looked on flabbergasted. Hayley was desensitized to a lot of things that go on in the vampire community. Because she was a werewolf she was disgusted by their practices, but she gradually became comfortable with them. Eventually they didn't bother her at all but they never expected to see the day she encouraged their savage behavior.

Hayley nervously patted her hair and fidgeted with her cardigan. Their silence made her feel antsy and uncomfortable. She could almost hear their thoughts racing about her motives. "Just forget I asked"

Elijah smiled, amused by how flustered Hayley was getting. " That's very nice of you Hayley, unexpected, but nice nonetheless…Rebekah I believe this is a task you might enjoy"

"I guess I could carve out some time to ruin some poor soul's day since you asked nicely" Rebekah wasn't fooled by Hayley's sudden generosity. Everyone else pretended they never saw Klaus and Hayley locking lips weeks ago but she didn't forget, she was just waiting for the right time to bring it up, this still wasn't it but she had a feeling the opportunity would present itself soon. Standing up from the table she started walking out of the room, "I'll go fetch Hayley's love offering ,I'm sorry, thank you gift from the quarter, any special instructions?"

Hayley wasn't amused by Rebekah's sly comment. "Just get it here and I'll handle the rest thank you"

* * *

"Hey my little princess you're finally awake"

Hayley picked up Nikol who let out a few baby noises and yawned. Her sounds were loud enough to wake her father up as well. She rubbed her nose against Nikol's tiny little nose and cradled her closely.

"Looks like your father is awake too"

Klaus slowly picked himself up from his slumped position in the chair. He opened his eyes and frowned. He was not amused by Hayley's upbeat nature.

"I thought you slept well why the scowl", turning away from Klaus and focusing her attention back on Nikol. "I guess your father didn't enjoy your company last night Nikol"

"I don't think well would be the word I would use to describe my night love, I see that you did though"

"Yes I did. Thank you Klaus. I really needed that."

"What can I say, I was feeling generous and I wanted to spend a little time with this screaming little one here." He said, walking towards Hayley near the changing table.

She was in the process of undressing Nikol to change her out of her onesie. She had pulled out a cute little yellow and white sundress and matching headband that Rebekah bought for her to wear today. The Infant wasn't too fond of changing her clothes or her diaper so she was kicking her little feet out at her. Klaus reached over and held her feet in his hands

"Keep still Nikol, you can kick all you want after you are dressed in this ridiculous dress your aunt bought you" Hayley looked over her shoulder and laughed.

"Rebekah is going kill you when I tell her you called Nikol's dress ridiculous. Did you change her diaper? This one looks brand new…"

Klaus was feeling generous but not that generous. He laughed much to Hayley's dismay. "Of course not love I compelled on of the maids to do it "

Hayley rolled her eyes and slapped his hands away from Nikol's feet. She picked her up and placed her against her chest and shoulder.

"Why don't you put a shirt on and come down stairs with us, I have something for you"

"And what might that be?" he asked raising his eyebrows up.

"Just come down and see for yourself" She shot him a suggestive glance and left him to get dressed.

When she got downstairs Rebekah had a tall, medium weight brunette waiting in the kitchen.

"Will this do Hayley?"

"Yeah I think so, wasn't quite what I was expecting."

"Oh don't be fooled by her innocent look, she was insulting this woman less fortunate than her in one of the bars, I figured that was just cause to offer her up as your thank you gift"

It made Hayley slightly uncomfortable to think about it but she got over it quickly. This was the reality of her life now and she might as well embrace it every now and then, plus it's not like she didn't have a twisted side to her. She silently questioned why she was even doing this in the first place. Klaus was bringing out her darker side without even knowing it and she was surprisingly okay with it. "Whatever, thank you"

Rebekah just shrugged her shoulders and slouched back into the chair she was sitting in. Klaus walked into the room and immediately froze; he looked at the strange woman in his kitchen and wondered who she was.

"What is this about Hayley?"

"Good afternoon to you too Nik it's always such a pleasure to hear your dreadful voice"

"Shut up Rebekah! Hayley?"

She walked over to Rebekah and handed Nikol over to her.

"This is for you Klaus, I-"

"For me? Rebekah what of this nonsense?"

"Don't look at me Nik ask your baby momma here"

Hayley was already regretting everything. She just wanted to be nice. They may have survived their first argument the night Nikol was born but that would only be the first of many for them. She knew she had been snapping at Klaus for all sorts of things lately. That combined with his recent nice behavior made her want to kind of make up for being a bitch to him for the past few weeks. Now she just felt like being a bitch again. "Sit down and shut up klaus"

"Watch it little wolf"

He sat in the chair that was pulled up to the empty table for him and eyed her curiously. She grabbed a knife off the kitchen counter and told the brunette to stand up. She held the woman's arm out in front of Klaus and sliced her wrist with the knife causing her blood to drip and Klaus's senses to awaken. She could see the need in his eyes so she pushed the girl's bleeding arm closer to his mouth.

"Here, enjoy your lunch. When you're done just dispose of her, I don't want our daughter sharing a house with a dead body all day." She retrieved Nikol from Rebekah and left Klaus to his meal.

He grabbed the arm and feasted on the warm blood running through her veins. The girl tasted delicious but the exhilaration he experienced was magnified because Hayley had been the one to offer her up to him. Most women would be too disturbed by his blood thirst to even watch him feed let alone offer him someone to feed on. Hayley was not only undisturbed by his twisted nature but she was enticed by it. She reveled in it and it made him desire her greater than he had ever desired her before. He desired her even more than he did the night she told him that painting showed her how twisted he really was and that she could relate. He didn't stop until he completely drained the woman of every ounce of blood in the body. Savoring it like it was a special meal that he needed to last forever. He was satisfied and his thoughts wondered all over the place trying to figure out how she managed to satisfy every part of him. He sat at that table with his hands in his head, failing at trying to calm his thoughts about her. His mind bounced between her slitting the woman's wrist in front of him and him ravishing her body all those nights ago. It drifted to the night she gave birth and then to the night he carried her weak body into the house after she has been attacked. He sighed heavily because he knew what it all meant and he knew there was no going back once he finally admitted it to himself. He was falling for her, and not only was there nothing he could do about it; there was nothing he wanted to do about it.

He stood from his seat with the intention of going to Hayley and questioning her about her little "gift". He knew how it made him feel but he wanted to know why she did it. He brushed it off to mere curiosity at first but he kept thinking that maybe she returned his feelings, and if he could get her to tell him what motivated her display today it would give him some sort of indirect conformation. He needed to know before he talked himself out of his feelings again.

He walked into the main room expecting to find Hayley and Nikol only to find marcel. He was questioning Hayley about where he was and he did not look happy.

"Marcel…."

Marcel leaped to his feet when he heard Klaus's voice and approached him nervously.

"There you are, Klaus we have a problem"

* * *

**A/N: So I hope you guys weren't terribly bored with this chapter. If you were don't worry, as you can tell from the minor cliffhanger at the end there is some drama on the horizon :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Klaus stood in the middle of his study glaring at Marcel, who had suggested they go into another room as to not disturb Hayley and the baby in the main room. He could tell by Marcel's demeanor that he was not about to be pleased with whatever was going on. He had given Marcel full control of the vampire community while he took some personal time away after Nikol's birth and he thought they were in good hands but he was clearly mistaken. "Well" he said, motioning for Marcel to go ahead and divulge whatever information he came to share.

"Some of our day walkers were attacked and killed just outside of the quarter three days ago"

"Why are you just telling me about this?"

"For starters, you had a lot going here and I could handle it, I did run this city for 100 years without you"

"So then what brings you here now, surely you can snuff out who did this and make them pay"

"It wasn't just an attack Klaus, two groups were lured just outside of the quarter and mauled by werewolves" Klaus was pretty calm so far but Marcel knew with that revelation his mood was sure to change.

"Werewolves? " Klaus clinched his jaw and eyed marcel wearily. Immediately he knew where this conversation with Marcel was headed. There was only one pack of werewolves capable of doing such a thing. Klaus let out a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes as what marcel was saying registered in his mind. "Hayley's pack"

"Yes Klaus Hayley's pack. We haven't been able to figure out what prompted the attack but I have my people digging into it. Now all of our vamps are on edge. They don't know what to expect to happen next and now we're down 7 day walkers"

Klaus sighed deeply. He was not in the mood to deal with this right now. He knew that whatever was going on would not sit well with Hayley but he couldn't let the offense go unpunished. He would have to walk a very thin line between the vampires and the werewolves now. Before he didn't really care about the werewolves at all but news of his long lost family still being around and the fact that the wolves in the bayou shared the same blood as his daughter forced him to care.

"Look Klaus I had to threaten a handful of vampires with death when they threatened to kill any werewolf they came across in revenge. I'm well aware of you're family being scattered around town. We need to do something to boost moral within the community and we need to do it now before we have a big werewolf-vampire war going on or worse they decide to take their anxiety out on the locals."

"Ahhh we need to boost moral" Klaus responded with a disgusted look on his face. He had no idea how Marcel managed to stay sane dealing with these amateurs as Elijah had called them once. " What kind of pathetic little vampire community do we run around here Marcel? One little wolf attack and they're already behaving like cowards. One would think that after what we went through with those witches they would be a bit less skittish." Marcel could sense his annoyance. "Tell me Marcel, how do you suggest we boost moral?"

"I was thinking we bring back a little method I came up with to keep them happy. Lift the ban on the compound and throw a massive party, invite some of the locals so they can feed…."

"And then we can turn a handful to make up for the day walkers we lost, right I remember your little methods quite well Marcel" Klaus interrupted, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah well you may not be a big fan but they worked, when I was in control my guys stayed happy and they stayed in line"

He paused for a moment to ponder Marcel's suggestion. He was weary of having them around his daughter but he knew that if he planned on continuing as their leader he would have to relent eventually.

"Since I am a new father it would only be fitting that I threw an extravagant party to celebrate the birth of my child and introduce her to the world. We can have the party, but" He walked up to marcel and placed on hand on his shoulder and used his free had to point in his face "If any one of those vampires so much as breathes the wrong way in my daughter's direction I will have their hearts pulled from their weak little bodies"

Marcel brushed Klaus off of him and stepped back annoyed. "Got it. Now what are we going to do about these werewolves"

"You leave that to me. I'll deal with the werewolves as I see fit, for now you just worry about gathering your resources to find out whatever information you can. In the meantime those vampires are not to touch a single werewolf."

Marcel nodded and started to leave the compound. Klaus stopped him one final time before he exited.

"Oh and the party will commence tomorrow night."

Klaus headed towards the kitchen but Hayley, who had been listening in on the conversation the entire time, interrupted him. He could tell by the look on her face that she was not upset.

"Klaus this can't be true, my pack wouldn't do this."

"You don't really know them that well love, you've only just began to connect with them, who knows what they are capable of"

" They've lived peaceful in that bayou under Marcel's curse for almost two decades, why would they all of a sudden decide to attack those vampires." She nervously patted Nikol on the back waiting for Klaus to respond.

"I don't know what to believe Hayley. It doesn't make sense, but who else could it have been."

"I don't know but I won't let you hurt my family for this!"

Her threatening tone perturbed him. He told marcel to not harm the werewolves but of course that wasn't good enough for her. Nothing he did was ever really good enough for her.

"Since you've seem to have forgotten already love let me remind you that I told Marcel not to harm any of the werewolves. Of course that's not good enough for you now is it." She didn't respond, but she started at him angrily. He could feel his anger rising as her eyes burned holes into him. "Nothing can get in the way of you and your precious family can it, not even me. Tell you what love, if I find out that they are behind this I'll slaughter the lot of them, then you'll never see them again."

Hayley felt her anger rise up. She couldn't believe that he would threaten her family again. Here she was thinking he actually cared about her.

"How dare you Klaus! You know what they mean to me! All I've wanted was a family and now you are threatening to take it all away from me again, just when I thought you might actually care about me." She said, shifting Nikol to her arms and maneuvering around him to exit the room.

"YOU'VE FOUND YOUR FAMILY!" He yelled, which made her stop in her tracks and furrow her brows.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She questioned. Not understanding his anger or his words.

"You know what it means Hayley." She just stood and stared at him in confusion. He slowly approached her and leaned in so that his face was inches away from hers "I told Marcel no harm would come to your family- for now, so this little conversation is over"

"Klaus I'm not done" Before she could finish yelling after him Nikol began to cry. The newborn didn't take to kindly to her parents arguing. She shushed the crying child and retreated to her room. She silently rocked Nikol and the argument with Klaus replayed through her mind.

She heard him tell Marcel not to harm the werewolves, but what lead to her reaction was she didn't trust him. Even with all the progress they had made, the night he told those witches to kill her and the baby and the day he told the vampires to hunt down her family still haunted her. She wasn't sure she would ever be able to trust him. He'd never even apologized for it. He had to know that she wouldn't tolerate it. Nothing would stand in between her and her family. But as she thought about it more his voice screaming you found your family echoed in her head. Did he mean that she found her biological family and that should be enough or that she had found her family with him and their daughter?

She knew that her relationship with Klaus had begun to develop more tenderness to it. She would be in denial if she said the thought of them actually being a family didn't cross her mind, but every time it did she pushed those thoughts away quickly. How could they be a family if she didn't even trust him? She didn't trust him when it came to the werewolves, and she had only begun to trust him with her life a few months ago. To be a real family she would have to trust him with something more precious that than that, her heart, and she couldn't do that no matter how much the feelings she secretly held threatened to seep out of her heart. The only thing she could trust him with was their daughter, she had no doubt he would never hurt her but was that enough of a foundation to build a family on?

She sighed and threw her head back against her chair. Even though she felt like her feelings and reactions were justified she still felt a guilt gnawing at her heart. She looked down to see if Nikol was sleeping. When she peeked she was met with deep blue pupils. "You know it's really annoying when I'm trying to not think about your father and you insist on reminding me of him with those beautiful blue eyes. I guess you think I should go say I'm sorry to him huh" She lifted her up and snuggled her close, placing a kiss on her cheek. " Yeah you do since you're such a daddy's girl, I bet you're staying awake just so that I'm forced to go bring you to him and apologize while I'm here huh" The infant just looked at her mother curiously. Rolling her eyes Hayley stood up." Fine but I'm only doing this for you."

She looked in this room but didn't find him there so she headed downstairs where she found him in his office telling Rebekah and Elijah about what happened with the werewolves and the plans for the party.

"Nik you can't seriously think I can have a party together that soon do I look like bloody superwoman to you!"

"Well you don't exactly have a choice little sister"

"Klaus are you sure this is a good idea. You've been paranoid about these vampires since Nikol's birth now you just want to let them run free in our home?" Elijah chimed in.

Hayley stepped forward interrupting them. "I think it will be fine, I trust that nothing will happen to Nikol with all of you around, plus I don't think they want to suffer what Klaus has planned if they do try something."

The little wolf was smart Klaus thought to him self. He avoided eye contact with her and kept a straight face. Stroking his ego in front of his siblings would not make his anger disappear. "Well it's good to know you're on board little wolf, it's not like you had a choice in the manner either". Hayley gave him a pointed look and he continued to avoid eye contact. Elijah and Rebekah could sense the tension between the two. "Is everything okay here brother?"

"Yes Elijah there is no problem for you to sprinkle your pixie dust on and make disappear if that's what you're asking"

"He's right Elijah everything is fine. I just need to talk to Klaus for a moment would you guys mind giving us a second?"

Elijah and Rebekah exited the room.

"I thought I made myself clear when I said our conversation was done Hayley, what do you want?"

"I came to bring your daughter to you, she refused to take her nap with me. I'm pretty sure I heard her whisper that she wanted her father" Hayley said, attempting to release the tension with a little bit of humor. Klaus's disposition relaxed and he sat up in his chair extending his arms out towards Hayley. "Give her here"

He took the child and cradled her against his chest. If there was anyone who could make him forget his anger and his problems it was Nikol. All negative emotion disappeared in her presence. "Is that it?" He questioned Hayley, who was still standing in front of his desk as if she was waiting to say something.

"No." Her eyes wandered to the side of the room and she nervously ran her hand through her hair. "I shouldn't have threatened you before. Thank you for telling Marcel to make sure no harm comes to the werewolves until we find out more, you didn't have to do that but you did. I was just on edge because …well they-"

"They mean a lot to you, I know." He said cutting her off. Hayley was surprised by the almost understanding tone in his voice.

"Yes they do." They stayed in silence for a few moments, both unsure of how to proceed next.

"If our daughter is supposed to make her grand debut tomorrow she'll need something fit for a princess to wear" Hayley said in an attempt to change the subject.

"I presume her mother will as well"

"She will."

"I trust you to choose something appropriate for the both of you. I'll have someone come by tomorrow with more than a few options for you to choose whatever is to your liking."

"Thank you"

Klaus slightly nodded his head. He couldn't stay mad at her long even if he tried.

* * *

**A/N: So this chapter was a little shorter than the last couple of chapters. I was gonna include a little more but I kinda liked the way it ended here so I left it as is. The drama with the wolves is just getting started. Party next chapter! Anyways, as usual hope you enjoy and please review! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

Hayley was just about to open her eyes after another peaceful night's sleep when she heard the knocking on her door. She yawned and extended her arms to stretch her muscles and slowly made her way out of bed. There was another knock on the door. She knew it wasn't Rebekah since she could hear her barking out orders downstairs. She figured it was Klaus disturbing her peace. "I'm coming!" she yelled as she rolled her eyes. She put on her favorite lavender silk robe and headed towards the door. "Klaus since when do you knock before coming into my room" She said as she opened the door, only to be surprised by a blonde who looked to be in her late twenties. "Who are you?"

"Hi Mrs. Mikaelson? I'm Meredith"

Hayley nervously wrapped her robe around her tighter and gave the girl a blank stare, unsure of how to react at being called Mrs. Mikaelson. Clearly the girl was looking for someone else or someone lied to her.

"Sorry I'm not Mrs. Mikaelson, maybe you're looking for Rebekah she's right downstairs"

The girl looked on in confusion then looked down at the notepad she had in her hands, checking to make sure she didn't have her wires crossed. "I was hired by a guy named Klaus. I'm looking for Hayley, I asked downstairs and someone pointed me to this room. I'm sorry if I disturbed you, I'll go double check with the person who sent me here"

"If you're looking for Hayley then you're at the right room, I'm Hayley but I'm not Mrs. Mikaelson."

The girl became flustered when he realized her mistake and how uncomfortable it seemed to have made Hayley. "I'm so sorry that was my mistake, the guy who hired me told me that he needed me to find the best gowns in the city for you and his infant daughter. I just assumed based on how he spoke of you that you were his wife. I apologize I shouldn't have assumed."

Hayley smiled and let out a small laugh. "It's okay, Klaus and I are umm…are umm, we have a daughter together, I could see how you could have gotten the wrong impression." She stepped back and opened the door wider so the girl could enter her room. "Come in"

The girl motioned to four other girls who followed her into her room carrying large duffle bags and pulling racks of dresses. Hayley looked on in astonishment.

"This is a lot of stuff for just me and a baby"

"I know it seems like it but we're in charge of handling everything for you and your daughter today, hair, makeup, accessories, whatever you need. said that he didn't want you to have to worry about doing anything but showing up tonight."

Hayley rolled her eyes but smiled. She was surprised by his sweet gesture considering their argument last night. "I keep telling everyone I can take care of things on my own but since you're here."

"Great! Let's get started then. We're on a tight schedule so we can't afford to waste anymore time, we need to have you and the baby's…I'm sorry what's your daughter's name?"

"Nikol"

"We need to have you and Nikol's dresses picked out and fitted before the people from the spa get here, their supposed to be here around noon which leaves us with a little under three hours to look though all of these and try them on. Then it's alterations turn to take over."

Meredith was talking and moving a mile a minute. Hayley had no idea what she was talking about or what exactly was going on. She almost asked her if she was sure it was Klaus who set all this up because she was having a hard time believing he would be this thoughtful. "People from the spa? Alterations? Is all of this really necessary?"

"Mr. Mikaelson wanted to do something nice and since you're a new mother we figured you would enjoy a little pampering. We can cancel if you're uncomfortable."

"You don't have to do that, I guess I could use just a day of being spoiled and pampered, enjoy the good life."

"Okay, well let me show you some of the things we've picked out for you. These are some of the most exclusive gowns in the city." Hayley walked around the racks and Meredith started showing her every gown one by one. Just as she was about to start trying things on Rebekah barged into the room with Nikol in her arms. "I suppose someone might be needing this little one soon."

Meredith smiled as Rebekah stood on side of her with the baby. "So this is little miss Nikol? Wow Hayley she is gorgeous"

"Yep that's her." Hayley said smiling. Rebekah walked over to her and handed Nikol over. "Come here sweetheart, mommy missed you all night." She snuggled her closely and kissed her on her forehead. "Your dad is starting to spoil you, soon you won't ever want to sleep with me."

"So what have you picked out Hayley?"

"Nothing yet Rebekah, I was just about to try on my favorites."

"Well get to it then we don't have all bloody day, I want to see and I have things to do" Rebekah took Nikol from Hayley and she went to into the bathroom to try on the dresses.

One by one she rejected them. They were beautiful gowns but she didn't feel confidant in any of them. She almost felt unworthy of wearing such nice things; she'd never really had nice things until she got pregnant and moved in with the Mikaelson's. If it wasn't for Nikol she would still be out roaming the world alone trying to figure out how to survive with what little she had. She was confortable with the Mikaelson's but sometimes she felt like a fish out of water.

Rebekah grew annoyed with Hayley's little game. "Hayley you've tried on 7 dresses already why don't you seem to like anything? You look great in all of them."

"I don't know none of them look right on me. I just don't feel pretty in them."

"Are you worried about what Nik would think? I'm sure my brother would enjoy you in anything." Rebekah said smirking.

She would never admit it to Rebekah but she was, just a little, thinking about what he would like as she tried on dresses. She felt a little pressure to wear something that would make her look so stunning he wouldn't be able to keep his eyes off of her.

"No this has nothing to do with Klaus," she shouted from the bathroom before she walked out in another dress. "I just feel like none of these look right on me. Maybe it's because I just had a baby, my body isn't exactly in the best shape right now"

"Hayley your body looks great, you don't even look like you just had a baby"

"Rebekah's right Hayley," Meredith chimed in. "You look great in every dress"

Rebekah had been eying a dress that Hayley hadn't tried on yet. She thought it was just the dress that Hayley needed, and she knew her brother would really like it. She grabbed it and handed it to Meredith. "Here take her this one, tell her the color might make her feel a little sexier, and that my brother might like it."

* * *

After working tirelessly all day Rebekah finally had the compound ready for the party. Klaus walked down to admire his sister's work one last time. The Mikaelson's were no strangers to extravagant parties but this one would beat any they've ever been too. It was the perfect mix of mysteriousness and elegance. The lights alternated between different rich dark hues. The black velvet draping fell perfectly along the walls and the place looked liked a haunted royal palace. "Little sister I think I may have underestimated you"

"It wouldn't be the first time now would it" She replied

"I don't think I have to remind you of this but I'll do it anyway. If anyone even looks at Nikol with what you perceive as unpleasant intentions I want you to snap their neck."

"Nik you know I prefer to rip out hearts." Both of the siblings laughed.

"Very well then sister, I wouldn't want to deny you your pleasures, our guests will be here soon perhaps you should go get ready."

Back upstairs Hayley was just getting through with her session with the people Klaus hired from the spa. She didn't know how much she needed that full body massage until she actually got it. It felt good to be pampered, to relax, to not have to think about anything but how great it all felt and how she could get used to this kind of treatment. As she finished getting ready she got butterflies in her stomach. She was worried about what people would think when she showed up at the party alongside Klaus in her fancy dress. Earlier Meredith had called her Mrs. Mikaelson and that title kept nagging at her mind. If Meredith got that impression would other people think something more was going on between her and Klaus? Months ago when Davina called her Klaus's wife she frowned in disgust. "Ew no, never" is what she had said, but when Meredith caller her Mrs. Mikaelson it didn't disgust her, it didn't upset her, she actually entertained the thought for a minute. Everything she experienced today felt like privileges a wife would enjoy all the time. She couldn't really imagine her life being that way but sometimes she wondered if it was because she knew that would never be her or because she was afraid of what it would mean if it were. The music blaring downstairs interrupted her thoughts; the party was almost in full swing now and Meredith was saying something about Klaus looking for her. She took one last look at her self in the mirror and smiled, she had a feeling she would enjoy this night.

* * *

"Vampires of New Orleans, welcome back to our home" The crowd erupted with yells and hand claps as Klaus started his speech. Marcel and Rebekah were mixed in with the crowd and Elijah had chose to stand alongside his younger brother above the crowd. Sabine wasn't too far away, choosing to hang with Davina until Klaus's theatrics were over. "Recently in my absence we have suffered a loss of a few members of our community. I assure you that even with these losses we are still stronger than ever. Tonight we are here to celebrate our community, to revel in our shared immortality." He motioned to one the vampires guarding the entrance to the compound, giving him the signal to let the locals who had been invited into the party. "So drink up my friends, take your pleasures in anyway you want." The vampires cheered in anticipation of enjoying their human feast. "But before we continue with our festivities there is one other thing I would like to do. Tonight is about celebrating our community but it's also about celebrating family, the original family. Just a moment please." He paused for a moment to pop in behind the door where Meredith told him Hayley and the baby would be waiting. "Where are you little wolf?"

"I'm right here Klaus" Hayley stood up from the chair in the corner she was sitting in and approached him. Klaus gasped internally when he finally saw her and his daughter. She was wearing a strapless all black gown. It had intricate beading from top to bottom and there were beautiful dark jewels placed in strategic places giving the dress an extra level of elegance. It clung to her body perfectly and she paired it with a simple diamond necklace. Nikol was in a black dress with gold embroidery along the bottom and black jewels in the shape of a flower at the top. Hayley had picked out a one of a kind jeweled headband to go with it. He just stared at Hayley and the baby for a second, astonished by their beauty. His jaw almost dropped but he caught it before he embarrassed himself and finally managed to formulate words. "Come along now love."

Hayley followed him out of the room and he lightly placed a hand at the small of her back as he guided her to the balcony. "As I was saying, as you all know Hayley and I recently welcomed our daughter into this world." He placed the glass that was in his hand down and leaned into Hayley to take the baby from her. "As my daughter she is owed the utmost respect from all of you and I'm confidant that you will show her and her mother the appropriate respect." Hayley forced a smile, feeling slightly uncomfortable at Klaus's display but willing to play along with his theatrics. "So without further ado I would like to propose a toast", he said, focusing his attention on Hayley. "To our daughter, Nikol Andrea Mikaelson." One of the servers handed Hayley a gold goblet to match Klaus's. She lifted her glass along with the rest of the crowd as they all toasted. "To Nikol."

Hayley was relieved then the whole thing was finally over. Klaus was showing Nikol off to some of the vampires so she decided to just sit back and take in the sights of the party. Rebekah and Sabine came and kept her company for a while, but after a little while they were both lured away by Elijah and Marcel. She leaned on the railing of the balcony and watched the vampires party and feast on the human partygoers. As she scanned the crowd she noticed a tall dark haired guy who seemed out of place. He stood off to the side instead of partaking in the fun like everyone else. He stared up at her and smiled as if he knew her. She simply smiled back to be nice. "What may I ask is responsible for this smile on your face little wolf?" Klaus had walked up behind her. "Nothing just enjoying the party, are you done parading our daughter around?"

"Do you have a problem with me being excited about my daughter? I thought you would appreciate how much everyone has fawned over her."

Hayley reached out her hand and grabbed Nikol's little fingers."No there's no problem Klaus, I just missed her a little. It's getting late I probably should take her to the other side of the house and put her to the sleep."

Klaus didn't want her to leave the party, he wanted to watch her in that dress for as long as he could but he wouldn't dare ask her to stay. Just as he was about to hand Nikol over Rebekah approached them from behind. "What are you two chit chatting about?"

"Nothing, I was just about to call it a night, it's almost Nikol's bedtime." Rebekah had watched her bother admire Hayley all night from afar. She knew that he wouldn't want her to leave the party just yet. "Why don't I take her while you guys enjoy the rest of the party. I'm exhausted, I'd love to spend the rest of my night with my little niece."

"You don't have to do that Rebekah, really." Rebekah reached over and took the baby from Klaus.

"Oh Hayley just shut up and go have fun. If you really feel bad for leaving her then you can make it up to me by dragging Nik out on the dance floor."

"Goodnight little sister."

He turned to face Hayley and put his hand out. "Shall we?"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Why wouldn't it be love?" She took his hand and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. When they finally arrived at their destination Without You by Lana del Ray was playing.

She intertwined one of her hands with his and let the other rest lightly on his shoulder while he placed his on the small of her back. At first the dance was awkward and she was tense, not wanting to be too comfortable with him around so many people, but the longer they danced the more relaxed she became. They danced in silence, not exchanging verbal words but their eyes did all the talking their lips wouldn't do. He wrapped his arm tighter around her waist and pulled her in closer until their faces were inches apart. Once again their eyes did all their talking for them. They looked at each other with pleading eyes; both wanting the other to just say something while neither was willing to cave.

The close proximity to Klaus affected her. Her eyes drifted to his lips and she bit her lip. His presence was becoming too overwhelming for her and she was afraid she wouldn't be able to control what was stirring in her much longer. To give herself some sort or reprieve she broke eye contact and rested her chin on his shoulder, closing her eyes as she took in his scent.

Familiar thoughts began to flood Klaus's mind as he swayed with the stunning woman who bore his child. Her beauty had never been lost on him but something about her tonight made him crave her. Maybe it was the way the dark fabric of her dress clung to her body. Maybe it was the way she looked like a queen fit for a king. Maybe it was the way she managed to be effortlessly sexy and beautifully graceful all at the same time. Whatever the reason, it was driving him mad.

"Hayley," he whispered into her ear, finally breaking the silence. "You look exquisite tonight."

She leaned into his ear and whispered thank you then pulled back so she could look at him. "Klaus"

"What is it love?"

"Why did you do all of this for me today?"

"Why did you give me your little gift yesterday?"

"I did it because", before she could finish her sentence she realized that the song had stopped.

"Another dance?" He asked, hoping she would say yes.

"I want to but I'm getting a little tired" He let go of his hold on her and lead her off to a corner of the room separated from the main area by think drapes. "You should be able to relax here." They sat down on one of the loveseats and observed the party for a few moments.

"What are we doing Hayley?" She looked at him in confusion, unsure of where that question came from.

"What do you mean?"

"I did all of this today because I felt that you needed it. We've both been so consumed with Nikol that we've barely had anytime to ourselves. I thought it would be something you enjoyed. I'm sure you can understand that sentiment."

"I did enjoy it Klaus, it was really thoughtful, I didn't think you could be that-"

"What caring?" He asked cutting her off. "I'm sure that's a quality you equate with my dear brother but I am capable displaying such emotions in my own ways." He shifted in his seat, suddenly feeling nervous and apprehensive about what he was about to say. "I may not show it often or the way others would but…you seem to have brought out that part of me, I…I care for you Hayley"

He couldn't bear to look at her in the eyes so he kept his focus on the rambunctious crowd, waiting for her to doubt his sincerity. Instead she moved closer and with the gentlest touch intertwined her fingers with his.

"I care for you too Klaus"

He looked down at her fingers interlocked with his in shock. It was pretty obvious even before Nikol was born that they cared for each other but he didn't expected to be where they were now. The tenderness in her voice and in her touch resonated within in him. He lifted his eyes to meet hers and recalled the last time her tenderness forced him to let his guard down. Hayley looked at him with longing eyes waiting for him to say something, anything.

"Why did you let me kiss you that night, the night our daughter was born? You could have pulled away, brushed me off, but you didn't"

She really wanted to say that it was because that's what she's always wanted since the day she found out about her pregnancy, but she wouldn't dare betray her own feelings. "I don't know, It just kind of…It just felt right, maybe I got caught up in the moment."

He leaned into her and griped her cheek with the palm of his hand. His lips were now centimeters away from hers and he could hear her heart racing. She didn't flinch at his closeness, instead she closed her eyes and listened to his lungs filling and emptying themselves of air.

"What about right now…does it still feel right?" His voice was a mix of pleading and seduction. They were equally vulnerable to the desires of the other, both just waiting for some signal that this is what they really wanted, what they needed. His lips got so close she could almost taste them and oh how she missed their taste. She prepared for the onslaught of his desire but as soon as she felt his lips against hers she pulled away. "Klaus, I can't do this."

He looked at her with angry and hurt eyes. He didn't expect her to reject him. "I see", was all he could get out without lashing out at her. Against his better judgment and his nature he tried to open up to her. He should have known better than to delude him self into thinking that he could ever be what she needed or what she wanted. He was never the choice only the burden. He quickly left the corner and disappeared into the crowd. Hayley sat on the sofa in a daze. She wasn't sure what she was upset about more, allowing him to get that close or not letting him get close enough. Tears welled up in her eyes and as she buried her face in her hand they slowly streamed down her face.

"Excuse me miss, are you okay?" She looked up to see the strange man she saw earlier while she was on the balcony towering over her. "What?"

"Are you okay? You're crying…"

"Oh" she replied, whipping her tears with her hands. "Yeah I'm fine, do I know you? You look familiar and…. are you a werewolf?" She sensed it as soon as she saw him, but she thought maybe she was wrong since a werewolf would have to have a death wish to show up at this party.

"No you don't know me Hayley, but you will", and with those words he was gone.

"Wait!" she shouted as she got up to chase him, but it was too late, he was nowhere to be found.

"How do you know my name?" she said out loud, although no one was around to hear her.

* * *

**A/N: so update a little earlier this week, I had a feelings we might need some klayley after tonight's episode. Anyways this chapter turned out a little different than what I originally had in mind. I usually plan out the chapter ahead of time but If the story takes me somewhere I just go with it. I REALLY like this one though, idk why, I think this may have been my favorite one to write so far. I wonder who that guy was? *evil laugh* Hope you guys like it too! Don't forget to Review! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Sorry it's taken me so long to update,I normally like to have an update once a week but school is taking away some of my writing time! Anyways thanks for all the great reviews so far, keep giving me feedback I really appreciate it. To make up for not updating sooner I will have chapter 9 up by tomorrow. Enjoy :)**

"Do you want your daughter? She's been with me all day." Hayley asked as she walked into Klaus's art studio where he had been holed up all day.

"Sure, just put her there" He said, never breaking his attention from the canvas he was splashing paint onto. "I'll pick her up when my work here is done for the night"

"How long will that be? I won't just have her sitting here being neglected when she could just stay upstairs with me"

Her words caused him to stop his movements and peer at her from the corner of his eyes. "Just put her down and get out," he snapped.

Hayley rolled her eyes and walked over to the plush bouncer pillow that Klaus kept in the room for Nikol. She kissed her daughter gently on the forehead and left her with her grumpy father. She knew why he was in a bad mood, which is why she didn't press the issue farther even though she wanted to. Things had been tense between them since she rejected him at the party two weeks ago. He tried to avoid her most of the time, only really speaking when necessary for things concerning their daughter. He spent most of his time out taking care of vampire business or in his art studio. Gradually the amount of time he spent with Nikol decreased as well and it was starting to really frustrate her.

She understood why Klaus was hurt after what happened at the party. It was probably hard for him to admit that he cared for her in a way that went beyond their partnership for their daughter. She felt the same way about him but something in her just wouldn't let her go there with him, not again. She didn't reject him because she didn't care for him, she was afraid and unsure of whether or not what she felt was something real and something they could build on. The last thing she would want is to give into a temporary desire and ruin the amicable relationship they had right now. She would rather her daughter grow up with two parents who appreciate and respect each other than two parents who can't stand each other because they got into an ill advised romantic relationship that didn't work out. She doesn't love Klaus, and she may be developing some romantic feelings for him but it wasn't enough to risk it, not with someone easily angered and who knows how to hold a grudge like Klaus. Of course Klaus would never understand that which is why she hadn't even bothered telling him, not that he would have listened anyway.

Hayley sat in the kitchen alone saddened by the distance between her and Klaus and the distance it was causing between him and their daughter. Rebekah walked into the house after a night out with marcel and found her sulking over in the corner. Sabine had told her all about Klaus and Hayley's little midnight dance and how into each other they looked on the dance floor. She thought she would find them in a blissful state the next day and was surprised to see that they were barely even speaking. She knew something had happened between them but neither would open up and say what it was.

"What on earth are you doing in here sulking Hayley? You seem really unhappy lately what's going on?" She asked as she took a seat near at the corner table.

"It's nothing Rebekah, just tired that's all, new baby and everything."

Rebekah could tell that she was lying but she didn't want to pester her too much, the last thing she wanted to do was make Hayley more upset that she already was. "Fine, how's my little niece then? I feel like I haven't seen her all day"

"She's—"

Before she could answer Rebekah's question Klaus rushed into the kitchen with a crying Nikol in his arms.

"Here take her I have to go," he said as he dumped the child into her arms.

"What the hell do you mean you have to go? Are you seriously just going to dump her on me after you've barely spent any time with her today? Can't whatever it is wait?"

"No it can't and I don't have time for your little guilt trips right now Hayley"

"You don't have time for anything lately Klaus, especially not your daughter. I know you're upset about what happened at the party but you can't keep avoiding her and your responsibilities too, you've barely done anything these past two weeks"

"I'm amused you think you have that much control over my emotions love, this has nothing to do with you or that night, get over yourself"

"Then where are you going? Why do you have to leave? Why have you been avoiding me and spending less time with your child?"

Her onslaught of questions about things he was in no mood to talk about angered him and he didn't have the time to hash this out with her. He had had enough of her pestering. "I DO NOT have to answer to you," he yelled. The increase in volume of his voice startled Nikol causing her to cry even louder.

"Maybe you two should calm down, you're upsetting your child," Rebekah intervened, though her suggestion went completely ignored by both of them.

"You're not leaving here until you give me an answer Klaus!" Her anger had risen and she was done with his ridiculous behavior.

"Listen to me little wolf, you're not my wife, you're not my girlfriend, you are NOTHING to me, and I DO NOT have to listen to this nonsense any longer." He shouted as he barged out of the room, to which Hayley could only lower her head in disgust.

"What in the bloody hell is going on with you two?" Rebekah questioned.

"It's nothing, just drop it" Hayley replied, clearly upset but trying to hide it.

"No, you two have been distant since the night of the party and now you're arguing in front of your daughter, what's going on? I'm not leaving this table until you tell me"

Hayley let out a heavy sigh as she rocked Nikol on her arms to try to clam her down. Once she had the child under control she decided that it might help to open up to Rebekah about her Klaus issues, after all she did look at her as a sister, and no one knew him better than her.

"This all started the day of the party. Klaus and I shared a dance after you left, well we shared more than one dance, but after the dance we kind of had this moment…"

"What kind of moment?" Rebekah inquired, she already knew the two harbored feelings for each other that they wouldn't admit so she had a pretty good idea of what went down between them.

"Klaus started talking about how great I looked and he told me that he cared for me, I told him I cared for him too. It got a little intense and we almost kissed."

"Almost?"

"I pulled away and Klaus stormed off and he's been avoiding me since then"

"So that's what this is about? You rejected him? Nik has never handled disappointment well. Why did you pull away?"

Hayley wasn't sure if she even knew the answer to this question and even if she did she sure wasn't about to tell Rebekah.

"It just, it didn't feel right. I don't know, Klaus and I don't have that kind of relationship, we don't have feelings for each other."

"Oh right you don't, you're just co-parents, or at least that's what you tell yourselves." Rebekah said rolling her eyes. She was amused by Hayley's denial

The truth is everything in Hayley wanted to kiss Klaus but she still couldn't let herself go there. It was too easy to just get caught up in the moment again and not think about the implications it would have. He said the he cared for her but what did that even really mean. She's the mother of his child so of course he cares for her. He could have just been really attracted to her that night, or he could have just been playing a game with her. She wasn't about to let herself get worked up because of some potentially meaningless words. Klaus wasn't the feelings and relationship type so what would make her think he's all of a sudden changed. She just couldn't take that chance with him. She had life changing consequences after giving him her body; she could only imagine the damage giving him her heart could do.

* * *

"What do you mean it happened again?" He shouted. Klaus's argument with Hayley had in a particularly nasty mood so hearing that there were two more attacks on vampires in the quarter was not going to go over well.

"Diego and John saw it happen with their own eyes, the werewolf bit two night walkers and took off. This isn't some random attacks we are being targeted Klaus." Marcel explained.

Turning his attention to Diego and John, he paused for a moment before asking if it was true.

"Yes there was nothing we could do to stop it"

The next thing everyone knew Klaus had John's bloodied heart in his hands. He had ripped it out in blind rage before he could even explain everything that happened. Marcel and Diego looked at Klaus with disgust and horror.

"Klaus what is wrong with you, he was one of out best guys"

"If he was one of out best guys he would have been able to help his fellow vampire, I will not tolerate a vampire with a defeatist mindset so for that he deserved to die."

He didn't really want to kill John but his rage from his argument spilled over and he lashed out. He needed something to get it all off his chest and unfortunately for John he was the closest target.

"Dammit Klaus! That wasn't okay! You can't just kill one of our guys, especially when we are loosing them left and right these days"

"Ah yes about that, if you don't mind I'd much rather you fill me in on how you're figuring out how to stop this instead of bombarding me with your whining"

Diego finally decided to speak up again. "We were targeted, the wolves just came out of nowhere and cornered them. It's like they were following the orders of someone"

"And how might you think werewolves are getting orders? They are stuck in wolf form they can't exactly communicate complex plots against the vampires in that state."

"What if it's a human? What is a human is somehow controlling them?"

"I can guarantee you that there is not a human who could get within 20 feet of those wolves without being eaten alive"

"I know of a few that could…" Marcel finally chimed in looking at Klaus sternly. Klaus knew exactly what he was hinting at.

"Well don't play coy Marcellus, just say what you're thinking. You think my family is behind this?"

"They are the only ones who could pull it off Klaus, so yeah I do and I'm not going to sit around here and watch more of my men get slaughtered so you might want to go handle them before I turn the rest of the vampires loose on them.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"This has gone on long enough and if we have to slaughter them all to stop it then I will and on the full moon Hayley's family might be next."

Klaus tossed Marcel across the room in anger and held him in the air by his throat.

"Now you listen to me marcel, if you so much as go anywhere near my family there won't be any vampires left to slaughter the wolves. I'll kill you and the rest of them."

* * *

"What's wrong with her!" Hayley shouted.

When Klaus handed Nikol back to her Hayley noticed the child was warm but she was too preoccupied with her drama with Klaus to think anything of it. When she child started to get extremely fussy Hayley noticed her flustered cheeks and increased body temperature. She panicked and yelled for help since she had never seen a sick child before. Rebekah stormed into the room to figure out what was the cause of Hayley's pleas for help and found her crying hysterically with a crying Nikol in her arms. She tried to calm her down as best she could but it was no use, as the panicked mother only got worse. Rebekah decided the best thing she could do was find help so she shouted for Elijah and Sabine who were tucked away in the other side of the house. They came as soon as Elijah heard Rebekah. Sabine checked out the baby but she was of no use with her limited knowledge so she suggested they let her contact one of the witches in her coven who practiced medicine. When the doctor arrived Nikol had stopped crying but she was now lethargic and almost unresponsive, which sent Hayley into even more of a panic.

"Is my daughter going to be okay? Please I need some answers!" She pleaded as the doctor continued checking Nikol out.

"I don't know yet Hayley, give me a little more time and I promise I'll have some answers for you. I'll do whatever I can to help your daughter."

Hayley found some comfort in the doctor's words but she was still a worried mess. Her baby's life had been in danger while she was still pregnant but this was different. She couldn't imagine not being able to see her face anymore, or hear her little baby laughs, or look into her beautiful blue eyes. The worst-case scenarios went through her head and she was afraid that they would come true. "I just want her to be okay" she desperately let out while wiping away the tears that had been falling down her face.

"She will Hayley, she's a strong little baby and she's a fighter just like her mother and father, she'll be okay." Rebekah offered as she rubbed Hayley's back to comfort. "Speaking of her father, why don't you call Klaus and tell him what's going on? I'm sure he'll want to know that there is a problem."

"Please, I doubt Klaus can be bothered to take away 5 minutes from whatever he's doing to come home and see about his daughter. He couldn't be bothered to spend even 30 minutes with her tonight. I'm not calling him."

"Hayley I get that you are upset but Nik loves that little girl, he would want to know."

Hayley knew Rebekah was right. Their argument and seeing Nikol sick was overwhelming her and she wasn't thinking clearly. She knew how much Klaus loved their daughter, he would be worried sick if he knew something was wrong with her and he would be livid if no one told him. She reluctantly picked up the phone and dialed his number.

* * *

Klaus roughly tossed Marcel to the ground and was about to continue his threat when he heard his phone ring. He looked at the caller ID and it was Hayley. He had no idea why she of all people would want to talk to him right now and he definitely didn't' want to talk to her so he ignored it. "As I was saying Marcel don't think for a second that this is an empty threat either, I will—" , he was interrupted by his phone again and looked dowm to see that once again it was Hayley calling. "WHAT!" he yelled into the phone but he didn't hear her say anything, he only heard silence then the line disconnect. She hung up on him and he looked at the screen in confusion and started to tuck his phone away again but it rang, this time it was Rebekah calling. He figured something must have been going on if he was receiving this many phone calls so he answered it, this time he was a little calmer. "What is it Rebekah?"

"Klaus why haven't you been answering your bloody phone? Hayley has been trying to call you."

"I did answer but the little wolf hung up on me, I don't have time for this what do you want?"

"Your daughter has fallen ill Klaus, there is a doctor here checking her out but she's very sick. We thought you would like to know, I do hope you can be bothered to come home and help Hayley tend to her."

When Klaus heard Rebekah's words his heart dropped into his stomach. It had to be serious or Hayley would have never dismissed her anger to call him. Now he felt guilty for not answering her call the first time. He panicked when he thought about what could be wrong with her. Rebekah heard his breathing change and she knew that he was most likely panicking.

"Klaus don't worry she's in good hands, she's going to be okay you just need to get here you stubborn ass."

"I'm on my way" Was all he said as he hung up the phone. He didn't even tell marcel that he had to leave. He jumped in his car and drove as quickly as he could until he reached the compound.

When he arrived Hayley was in the hallway with Rebekah in tears. Seeing her so upset made his mind think the worst. Just the mere thought of his daughter being so gravely ill that she perished made his chest tighten and he felt like he couldn't breathe.

"Hayley? What is it, what's going on is she okay? Where is she?"

"She's in the room with the doctor, she still hasn't said anything yet. I couldn't look at her like that any longer so I came wait out here."

Klaus breathed a sigh of relief that his worst fears hadn't come true but he was still terrified. He didn't like the uncertainty and he didn't like that his child was in such a vulnerable state. He looked over at Hayley and a guilt rushed over him. He thought maybe if he had just stayed with her like Hayley wanted this wouldn't have happened, or maybe it was something he did while he had her in his studio was the cause of her sickness. Some way somehow this was his fault and he would never forgive himself if she didn't recover.

Both Klaus and Hayley perked up when the doctor finally came out of the room with an update on Nikol's condition.

"It's probably just a bug but I'm still not sure what's causing her sickness. I've put her on fluids and gave her something to bring her fever down. We'll just have to keep watching her to see how she handles the medication and go from there."

All of Klaus and Hayley's fears weren't eased but they felt better knowing that there was some progress made. They rushed into the room to see their daughter and let out a sigh on relief when they finally saw her tiny body resting peacefully. Hayley started to tear up and Klaus instinctively pulled her into his arms to comfort her.

"It's okay little wolf, she's going to be okay." He wasn't even convinced of those words himself but he knew she needed to hear them.

Rebekah, Elijah and Sabine decided to give Hayley and Klaus a moment so they stayed out in the hallway.

"Excuse me doctor? I'm sorry what did you say your name was again?" Rebekah asked.

"Kim"

"Yes Kim, so do you think that my little niece will recover okay?"

"Yes, she should be okay in a few hours. I think she just got a bug; this old house is just filled with germs and things. I don't think they really have anything to worry about since I'm pretty sure her fever will go down in a little while and I'll give her some herbs, but everyone should probably watch her closely for the next few hours. She should be perfectly fine after that."

"That's great to hear." Suddenly Rebekah had the woman pinned against the wall.

"You will tell them that you don't know how long it will take her to recover, tell them that you don't recommend they leave her side and that they need to monitor her closely. You expect her to make a full recovery but there are no guarantees. You will then return here tomorrow morning with the same update."

The doctor blankly nodded yes and entered the room where Klaus and Hayley were.

"Rebekah what do you think you are doing?" Elijah questioned. He was not pleased that his sister compelled the woman to lie to Klaus and Hayley. "Why would you instruct her to lie to them, you know they are worried sick."

"I have my reasons Elijah, just trust me, it's just a harmless lie."

"I don't quite see how it's harmless sister. You're lying to our brother, if he knew he would—"

"That's why you're not going to tell him, just leave it be Elijah. I know what I'm doing"

"She's right Elijah, there's no harm in it just relax" Sabine chimed in, giving Rebekah a wink to let her know she approved of her scheming.

"I don't understand why the doctor's changed her tune all of a sudden Klaus. Now she's doesn't know how long she'll be like this and she's out of the woods? Why is this happening? She's just a baby" Hayley didn't take the doctor's new recommendation well. Klaus was upset about it too but he kept a brave face for Hayley's sake, she was already freaked out, seeing him upset would only make her worse.

"I don't know love, it could be just a precaution. I'm sure everything will be fine. Just relax it's going to be a long night."

Hayley appreciated how he kept trying to reassure her and comfort her despite their earlier argument. He was being great and it almost made her forget that she was angry at him at all, but even with his nice façade she wasn't going to let it go that easily, even if she had more important things to worry about.

"I'll stay with her, you can go back to doing whatever was so important to you before." He was taken back by her attitude given their current situation but he wasn't surprised, Hayley knew how to hold a grudge and she wasn't keen on letting him off the hook when he displayed some questionable behavior.

"I'm not going anywhere love, I'll be staying right here with our daughter. I suspect you will do the same so we might as well forget about what happened earlier since unfortunately we'll be sharing a room tonight"

"Its easy for you to just say drop it when you're the problem,"

"I'm the problem? Right, of course it's all my fault. Poor Hayley victimized by the mean hybrid. Let's not forget your role in all of this Hayley, you're no victim here love."

Hayley peered at him from behind her eyelashes. Of course he was shifting blame, he never could take responsibility and own up to his mistakes. It was always anyone's fault but his. She wasn't going to let him manipulate her into forgetting about it all.

"I guess it will be a long night then" She said, rolling her eyes so he could see her displeasure.

"Indeed it will."

**NOTE: Soo I have taken heed to a few reviews that said they want more klayley romance. I promise we will get there but this story is angsty and I enjoy angry klayley so that will be a thing throughout the story. I hope you guys liked this chapter despite the klayley arguments. On the bright side thanks to everyone's favorite auntie rebekah our favorite pair is stuck sharing a room tending to a sick child they both love very much. I have a feeling this close proximity for an extended period of time might be just what these in denial parents need :)**


	9. Chapter 9

It had been three hours since the doctor left the compound and Klaus and Hayley still hadn't said a word to each other. They sat on opposite sides of Hayley's bedroom and just watched Nikol. Hayley had gotten up to try to feed her but the baby didn't want the bottle she offered so she retreated to her bed and played with her phone. Klaus stared out of the window trying to focus on anything but her. Hayley eyed him curiously, wondering what was going through that wicked mind of his. Little did she know the only thing his head was filled with was thoughts of her.

She was all he could think about these days really, especially since the party. Images of her exquisite beauty and memories of the tender moments they've shared plagued his mind and he couldn't shake them no matter how hard he tried. Every now and then he would glance over to her to see what she was doing, only to see her staring at Nikol. That was another thing about her that made him greatly admire her. She had no example of what a mother should be yet she was a great one. She was so gentle with their daughter and she loved her fiercely. The moment she saw her something in Hayley switched and she became the type of mother any child would be blessed to have, the type of mother neither one of them had the luxury of having.

Sometimes, no, all the time, he felt unworthy of her. He'd done nothing to deserve it all yet here she was, willing to raise a child with him amidst all of his brokenness and unknowingly helping to bring healing to some of it. That's the real reason why he got so upset the night of the party. He wasn't surprised by her rejection it was just that it confirmed that she saw him as unworthy of her as he felt. It wasn't the first time he had faced rejection, that's been one of the most consistent things in his life, but that didn't make this hurt any less. It was a harsh reality that he didn't want to have to really accept. The only way he could cope with it was through anger and distance otherwise he would come undone at the seams and expose every bit of his vulnerable heart to her.

Hayley looked up from her phone for a second and caught his eyes focused on her. He tried to look away before she noticed he had been staring at her but it was no use. She focused her attention back to Nikol and continued to pretend he wasn't in the room. The silence was haunting and the tension was suffocating. There were so many words being locked away in the room but neither Klaus nor Hayley felt like handing over their key to release them. So they just sat there, sat and waited for the other to say something, anything.

Another hour passed without words and Hayley was starting to get antsy. She stated getting up every 10 minutes of check on the child. Her nerves were a mess and her constant hovering was starting to drive Klaus insane.

"You know you don't have to check her every 5 minutes love, she's perfectly fine." He mumbled, finally breaking the silence in the room.

"I can't help it, she still feels warm what if the medicine isn't working or what if she's getting worse?"

"It's working love trust me"

"How do you even know, you've barely gotten up to check on here and you don't know anymore about what's wrong with her than I do" Hayley said agitated.

Klaus tensed up and sighed, she just couldn't drop the attitude could she.

"You seem to forget that I have advanced hearing. I've been listening to her heartbeat since I've been sitting here and her heart rate is nice and steady. If there were anything wrong that would not be the case. In fact when I first got in here it was accelerated, now it's beating strong and at a normal pace," he stated confidently. "So there you have it, is that a good enough explanation for you little wolf?"

Hayley was dumfounded. She figured he was sitting there thinking about how much he hated her not listening to their daughter's heartbeat. It was a welcomed surprise though since his assurance did help calm her nerves.

"You seem shocked…"

"I am, you haven't said a thing this whole time and you've barely gotten up to check on her. I assumed you were still in one of your moods."

"Well, contrary to what you might think I am capable of putting my anger to the side for the sake of our daughter. What good would it do for me to brood now when she's sick? Besides, I'm not very experienced with these things so getting up to check on her would be useless." He said slouching back into his chair. " I feel I have many talents but tending to a sick child is not one of them."

"You couldn't put your anger with me aside to tend to your daughter before she got sick so my assumption didn't just appear out of thin air, the way you act sometimes Klaus…" Folding her arms across her chest she tensed up as she contemplated whether or not she wanted to continue with what she was about to say. "It doesn't always inspire confidence, and you wonder why I pushed you away at the party." Hayley didn't exactly mean for that to come out but it did and judging from Klaus's blank expression she wasn't going to like where this conversation was about to head.

"Okay then, since you've obviously been itching to hash this out, let's talk about the night of the party then shall we"

"I don't want to talk about that," Hayley said quickly. As much as she wanted to confront him about it she wasn't ready to really delve into what made her push him away that night. They were going to be here in this room all night and if they started this conversation there was no way it would end without having to say how she really feels and she wasn't sure she was ready for that.

"Oh now you don't want to talk about it? You were more than willing to hash this out earlier, what's the matter little wolf? Cat got your tongue?"

Klaus was now sitting up in his chair with his deep blue eyes focused squarely on Her. "Go right ahead Hayley the floor is yours say whatever you have to say and get it over with," he said, motioning to the empty space between his chair and her bed. He was begging for a confrontation and Hayley had made it up in her mind that she wasn't going to back down now. He wanted an argument well he was going to get one and she was sure he wasn't going to like what she had to say.

"You had no right to get angry with me that night Klaus. You come at me expecting me to swoon at your little declaration of care and when I don't respond how you think I should respond you run off angry like some spoiled child."

Hayley stood up as the felt the tension rise in the room. This wasn't going to be a sitting down kind of conversation.

"You say all the right things and pretend to care so much but the moment something doesn't go your way you act out. What right do you have to push me like that and confuse me? The dress, the pampering, everything, that' s not who we are."

"Oh it's not? I seem to remember you giving me signals not that long ago too love, I don't need to remind of the things you've done for me, but I'm the bad guy here. I'm the one confusing you."

"I haven't done anything," she said defensively.

"Just admit it Hayley, you hold some of the blame too."

"No I don't"

" You stormed into MY life little wolf, if anyone is to blame it's most definitely you!" He was now standing up in the middle of the room but he kept the space between them, afraid of what would happen if he got too close.

"I was never supposed to see you again after that night, but here you are. You barged into my life carrying this child and nothing has been the same since then."

"So you blame me for getting pregnant. It was all my fault right? Me and Nikol are just burdens, standing in the way of you living your sorry like broken life here in New Orleans." She felt her heart drop in her chest when she heard his words. Had she and Nikol really been one giant burden he wished he didn't have to deal with? The more she thought about it the angrier she got so she turned her back to him, fearing that looking at him would upset her even more. "Great Klaus, just great, why am I even here then? Since I just barged in unwelcomed."

"That's not what I meant! I don't regret you and Nikol for a second but this is not something I was prepared for. Love is weakness; care is weakness and when you kissed me the night she was born I felt like the weakest being walking this earth and that drives me insane."

He grabbed her arm and turned her around so that she could face him.

"You did that, not me and when I finally have the guts to admit that I care for you, what do you do? You reject me like it none of it meant anything to you."

"What does that even mean?" She asked. Hayley's thoughts were racing and she couldn't comprehend what he was trying to say, or maybe she just didn't want to comprehend it, maybe it was easier that way.

"What does what mean?" he asked, meeting her confused eyes with his own.

"You say you care for me, but what does that even mean to you? What am I supposed to do with those words? What is it that you want from me Klaus?"

"You know what it means! I don't have to spell it out for you! Quit pretending like you don't know anything or what's going on because you do. You've felt it too, I know you have."

"But I told you that I cared for you, I told you and I meant it but that wasn't good enough for you, you just had to push and I just couldn't go there. I don't know why you got so angry anyway, who are you trying to fool, this isn't you, relationships, feelings, that's not the Klaus that I know."

"EXACTLY!" Now he was really angry. She was right, that isn't who he was, but because of her he was turning into this person. This person that could almost taste happiness, the person that longed to be those people he watches late at night in the quarter. It was all so foreign to him but he was trying to welcome it, he wanted to welcome it but she couldn't see it. She had no idea how much it was tearing him up inside to admit these things to her.

"That's not who I was, but that's changed because of you and that little girl over there." He grabbed her by the sides of both of her arms and pulled her closer to him. "I've opened myself up to you in ways I've never done in 1000 years and you spit on it like it's nothing, just as everyone else has, my siblings, my parents, you're just like them, no doubt our daughter will feel the same too!" He gripped her arms tighter causing her to pull away from him.

"That's not true Klaus!" Hayley was almost speechless. He was pouring his heart out to her in his own way and it was overwhelming her. Every word he uttered was hitting her like a freight train and the only thing she wanted to do was run away.

"Then why won't you open up to me? You see me just as they do just admit it, ADMIT IT!"

Hayley shut her eyes as she felt her anger spill over. She didn't want this conversation to continue but she was backed into a corner and there was no escape. The truth just spilled out of her against her will.

"You wanted me dead Klaus," she whispered with tears welling up in her eyes. "You wanted me dead." The tears had escaped her eyes and they fell on her cheek causing her skin to flush. She didn't even bother whipping them away.

Klaus was flabbergasted by her meek response and "what?" was all he could manage to get out. Had that night really come back to haunt him? It was a distant memory to him and he didn't even think that something like that would still weigh heavily on her but judging from her tears it did. Sometimes he underestimated the power his words had over the people around him.

"The night you found out about Nikol, I was just a scared pregnant 20 year old. I had no idea what was about to happen or what would happen. I knew that it was just one night but I thought somewhere in there, if you knew, that you would help us when they threatened our lives."

"Hayley I didn't mean that you, have to know that already, you're standing here safe and sound. Our daughter is alive and well that shouldn't matter anymore." He reached out for her again but she slapped his hand away from her not wanting to feel his touch.

" You looked at me with tears in your eyes as you listened to her heartbeat and for a split second I thought you might be able to hear me screaming inside for help but you didn't. You ignored my cries just like everyone else had over the years. I was unnoticed and uncared for and you told them to kill me." She backed away from him even more as her face continued to flood with tears. " I was just another problem; I've always been a problem, a problem to be solved by abandoning, or kicking out the house, or worse killing. You discarded me just like everyone else has and you never even apologized for it."

"I didn't know you needed an apology, you showed no signs to me that it still bothered you, how was I supposed to know." The hurt in her voice and the brokenness behind her eyes caused a burning sensation to fill his chest.

"You know what it feels like to suffer in silence. You know what it feels like to just want those around you to admit their wrong but you never mean enough to them to make them actually do it, you should have known!"

"I…Hayley please…I…" He said reaching out for her again, only to have her pull away once more.

"How am I supposed to take you seriously when you say you care for me and do all these wonderful things when that night replays over and over in my head. When the minute I disappoint you, you run away from me and act out in anger. Love from those around me has always been temporary. How am I supposed to know that giving into a desire for you that I may or may not have wouldn't end the same way? If I don't even mean enough to you to—"

"I'm sorry Hayley," he said cutting her off. He walked closer to her and took her hand in his. She didn't shy away from his touch this time so he used his other hand grip her cheek and lift her face so that she was looking him in the eyes. "I reacted harshly to the news and I said something that I deeply regret. I saw your eyes screaming out for me that night but I was too stubborn and too afraid to do anything about it. In case you haven't noticed I don't handle these types of things well. Expressing feelings, showing vulnerability, those are things I locked away a long time ago love and I'm only just now starting to unlock them thanks to you."

Hayley stared into his eyes and absorbed his words. She needed to hear him say that for months now and finally hearing the words made a peace rush over her. She could tell he meant it, she could tell he meant everything he said to her tonight and for the first time she felt like she was finally able to take it all in, to welcome it without fear or apprehension. "Thank you Klaus, I needed to hear that." She said caressing his cheek with her palm. He closed his eyes and exhaled a heavy breath he hadn't even realized he was holding in. He started to back away from her when she grabbed the hand that was on her cheek and held it in place.

"Klaus…"

"Yes little wolf?"

"Do you have feelings for me?"

He swallowed hard when he heard her question. Of course he did but he figured that would be clear to her by now. The answer to her question was a simple yes but the words refused to escape his voice box. They were at the tip of his tongue but they stalled, afraid that if they somehow managed to escape he would loose the last bit of control he had. If he let go there was no turning back and everything in him was fighting against it. "Umm well I….you should know the answer to that question."

She lifted his head back up and captured him in her hazel pupils. "I need to hear you say it Klaus, just be honest with me about how you feel. It's just you and me, forget about everything that's happened, and just tell me how you feel."

He continued to get lost in her gaze and fixed his mouth to form the words but he paused for a moment. He silently told himself to just let go. That he wouldn't regret it, that if he was ever going to find some happiness in this dark life he needed to say what was in his heart right here, right now.

"I have feelings for you Hayley, real feelings that I don't know how to deal with. They've been there in some form of fashion since the day I met you. You affected me in our brief encounters and through this experience we shared that grew into something more, something real and something I have fought with everything in me."

Hayley smiled softly and grabbed his hands pulling them up to hers and interlocking her fingers with his. She folded their arms in and let them rest between their chests. She returned her eyes to his and finally admitted to herself what she wanted, she wanted him, she wanted this.

"I have feelings for you too Klaus, I'm sorry I haven't been able to admit that until now but I feel the same way that you do. I want you, this isn't going to be easy but I want to be with you."

"Do you really?"

"Yes."

That's all he needed to hear from her before he crashed his lips into hers. He kissed her fiercely, remembering how long he's wanted to do this very thing. She returned his kisses with some fiery ones of her own. She too had longed for his lips and his touch. They released each other's hands so that they could maneuver more comfortably. Hayley grabbed his face to deepen the kiss and he wrapped his arms around her hips so that there was no space between them. He held her in his arms and allowed himself to pour all his feelings out onto her. She happily received them, parting her lips to accept the tidal wave of emotions at the tip of his tongue. They got lost in each and a blocked everything out. At that moment they were the only people in the world, finally giving into their desires and the beating of their hearts.

As the intensity of their kisses grew Klaus began walking Hayley slowly over to her bed. Once he got her there he wrapped her arms around his neck and showered her with kisses along her neck and her collarbone. He kissed her hard letting her know just how much he wanted her. Hayley could barely catch her breath when he returned to her lips and continued the onslaught. She let her fingers run through his hair as he once again assaulted her neck with his lips. She moaned in pleasure enjoying his teasing. Tossing her head back she almost forgot that they weren't alone in the room. She quickly remembered when she felt his lips drift below her collarbone towards her breasts. "Klaus, wait" she let out breathlessly.

"What is it love?"

"We shouldn't…"

"What? why not?" He asked impatiently. He wasn't ready to let her go yet; he needed to keep enjoying her.

Hayley nodded her head towards the direction of their sleeping child in her bassinet. Klaus had completely forgotten that she was in the room.

"Right, I suppose I was so entranced by her mother I forgot the little princess was even here. Perhaps we should pick this up in the morning?" He said, gently brushing his hands across her abdomen and hips.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea Klaus. Maybe we should take this slow, last time we went there we ended up with baby wolf over here" That caused both of them to let out a light chuckle.

"I'm pretty sure that was a fluke love, a happy fluke, but a fluke none the less"

"You don't know that."

He sighed and rolled off of her. He flopped down onside the bed next to her and pulled her into his body, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling his face into the back of her neck. Hayley reached her hand back to brush his face and smiled. She was happy in his arms and she didn't want it to end.

"All I'm saying is we don't need to jump into this. We can take our time, finally get to know each other and let this just take us wherever it takes us. We don't want to complicate that with sex right away. We'll get to that." She shifted her body so that she was facing him and wrapped her legs around his. He pulled her in closer to him and caressed her face. "Let's just be here, just like this for now. Is that okay?"

"How could it not? I have you here in my arms, that's all I've wanted so It's perfectly adequate for me love" Kissing her forehead he got one last kiss in before resting his chin on her head. She nuzzled into his chest and closed her eyes.

"Before we go to sleep I have one more question."

"Yes "

"Is she okay, Nikol…is she still okay?"

"Yes, she's still nice and steady. Nothing to worry about for now."

"Good."

"Goodnight little wolf"

Hayley looked up at him one last time. Taking in the sight of the big bad hybrid drifting off to sleep. She lightly kissed his chest and laid her head back down on it.

"Goodnight."

* * *

**AN: Soooo I hope you guys like where I took this chapter. They've finally admitted some things to each other. I guess we'll have to see where that takes them :) **

**I wanted to add a little about why I chose to take their confrontation in the direction that I did. Even though this is not strictly canon I wanted to keep klaus and hayley as close to how I see them on the show as possible. I've taken a few liberties but overall I think I'm doing okay with that. One thing about them on that show that's always stuck with me is Hayley's reaction when klaus calls her a liquor fueled one night stand and the look on her face when he's listening to the baby's heartbeat. I've always felt like even though Hayley seemed okay with Klaus in the episodes to follow, that's something that's never really left her. He tossed her to the wolves when she needed him the most and I don't think she's forgiven him for that. For someone with her backstory that's not something you get over easily if ever. I wish she couldn't have confronted him about that on the show (maybe she will who knows) but I felt that was something they needed to get out before they can actually move on to admitting their feelings for each other. Hope this all makes sense lol REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! let me know that you think or if you agree or disagree with anything I said! **


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